All Blacks captain Cane to retire from international rugby

New Zealand captain Sam Cane will retire from Test rugby at the end of 2024, the side said on Monday, calling time on a World Cup winning 12-year international career.

"Having played 95 Tests - 27 as captain - the 32-year-old has decided to focus on spending more time with family and sign a long-term contract with Suntory Goliath in Tokyo," New Zealand Rugby said in a statement.

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His retirement is not a complete surprise.

The All Blacks haven't played since they were defeated in the Rugby World Cup final by South Africa last year and Cane was already on a sabbatical in Japan.

Cane said the prospect of a three-year deal with the high-spending Tokyo club was too good to pass up.

"I had to weigh up everything and, in the end, with a young family, it seemed like the best decision to help set up our future," he said.

"It was a very hard one because I love the teams that I represent here in New Zealand."

Almost 12 years since his All Blacks debut, Sam Cane has made the decision to bow out of the Test arena at the end of 2024.Sam has decided to focus on spending more time with his family and sign a long-term contract with @sungoliath in Tokyo.As planned, Cane will return home… pic.twitter.com/l1CnYqI1Xj

Cane won the World Cup with New Zealand in 2015 and has twice been part of Super Rugby championship-winning sides with the Chiefs.

But his experience since taking over as All Blacks captain from Kieran Read in 2020 was not always smooth.

Cane at times struggled with his own form and was sent off during last year's Rugby World Cup final in the 28th minute.

With talents such as of Ardie Savea and Dalton Papalii snapping at his heels, there had been calls for him to