New Zealand captain Sam Cane admitted he was feeling “so much hurt” after he was sent off in Saturday’s 12-11 World Cup final defeat by South Africa.
Cane’s yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Jesse Kriel in the 28th minute of a dramatic clash at the Stade de France was upgraded to red by the bunker review system.
It was the first time a player had been dismissed in a men’s World Cup final and although the All Blacks showed heart to overcome the setback and score through Beauden Barrett, they could not pierce South Africa’s defence again. “So much hurt right now.
It’s actually hard to find the words to explain it,” Cane said. “It’s hard because you are feeling so much hurt, but at the same time you are so proud of the group in how they fought back. “We really gave ourselves a good shot of winning that game.