Cane hopes All Blacks won't be distracted by head coach appointment

All Blacks captain Sam Cane said he hopes the team will not be distracted during the Rugby World Cup while governing body New Zealand Rugby (NZR) goes through the process of appointing a head coach.

Scott Robertson, widely tipped to succeed Ian Foster after the tournament in France, said on Wednesday he was expecting an announcement to be made soon.

NZR appeared to be caught on the hop by Robertson's comments and later released a statement saying "an announcement about the All Blacks head coach or process is not imminent".

Japan coach Jamie Joseph is another possible candidate to replace Foster when his contract runs out after the World Cup, which will be held in France from Sept. 8-Oct. 28.

"What gives us the best chance as an All Blacks team of winning the World Cup is having as little off-field distraction as we can so that all the energy can be going into performance and playing," Cane said on Thursday.

"I just think as long as it's dealt with in a way that's least disruptive for the current group so that there's as little off-field distraction as possible. Whether that's before a World Cup or after, that's not up to me."