Sam Cane explains why he felt the need to apologise to pitch invader

All Blacks skipper Sam Cane has elaborated on why he felt the need to apologise to a pitch invader that he tripped after his side’s Rugby Championship win over Argentina.

Standing with teammates after the away game in Mendoza on Saturday, Cane stuck out a leg as a young fan ran by the group while being pursued by a security guard.

The fan tripped and rolled on the turf before quickly getting to his feet and running on.

Cane said on social media he had made an “error in judgement” by playing a part in stopping the pitch invader.

Cane later posted that he had managed to track down the fan called Roman through the help of “many good people”.

“Had a good catch-up with him and his friends and I’m glad that we could leave things in a good place.”

The All Blacks continue their title defence against South Africa, who on the same day thrashed Australia 43-12 at Loftus Versfeld, in Auckland on Saturday.

Now Cane has explained why he felt the need to apologise, a move that surpised many given the rugby tradition of giving pitch invaders short shrift in rugby.

Sam Cane has apologised via social media for kicking a pitch invader following this morning’s test against Argentina

Goes without saying, but this is not a good look for the All Blacks captainhttps://t.co/M6baJk518A

— Andrew Gourdie (@AndrewGourdie) July 9, 2023

“I saw a pitch invader running towards the team with a security guard some distance behind. In that split–second I made the decision to assist the security guard in stopping him, so he could take him off the field,” said Cane, according to NZ’s outlet Stuff.

“What people wouldn’t realise is there is a big moat round the field and in the time between the final whistle and our team huddle there had already been about five pitch invaders and security were doing the best they could. It was a bit chaotic out there.

“I’d say if he was an adult, I wouldn’t have felt I needed to [apologise], but the fact he was a teenager … straight away I felt bad because of his age, then when we got back into the sheds I was reflecting on it and once we got back to the hotel I looked into the possibility of reaching out to him.

“Through the power of social media and some locals we tracked him down, had a video call, and I explained, ‘I thought you were an adult’, and I said sorry for what happened. He was good. We chatted a little bit (through translation) about his rugby. His name is Roman, he’s a halfback, and I said he might be a decent running halfback because of the way he managed to evade security.

“There were five or six of his mates in the background all joining in and filming. Despite what happened it all ended on a really positive note,” said Cane.

“The fact there were so many pitch invaders within a short space of time, plus they’ve had to go through the effort of climbing over a barrier on to the field …maybe that’s something to look into.

“I can only talk about the weekend. In the end all the pitch invaders were harmless, but I suppose you can never be sure, especially being in a foreign country and a new city.”

additional reporting AAP