New Zealand rallies behind Sam Cane despite red card in Rugby World Cup final

Cane received a yellow card on the field that was later upgraded to red after his shoulder made contact with Jesse Kriel in a tackle in the tense final at the Stade de France, where the All Blacks ultimately went down 12-11.

Attempting to fill the remarkably large shoes of two-time World Cup-winning captain and national hero Richie McCaw, Cane has copped a fair bit of criticism over his career. That, combined with missing most of Saturday's final with a red card, meant that he was bracing himself for more.

However, the Chiefs player has been pleasantly surprised¦

"The support is something I haven't experienced as an All Black," the 31-year-old told AFP.

"It's the best I've found and that's from halfway around the world.

"I said before the Final, it's been overwhelming. And put it this way, I've been pleasantly surprised with the support post the Final too.

"I felt like I let a lot of people down and feeling that support has certainly helped. On a personal level, I appreciate all the kind words. It means a heck of a lot.

"My mum actually said to me if it was my boy [son] who'd been in this situation, 'how would you want him to feel and you wouldn't want him to beat himself up', so [I'm] trying not to be too hard on myself."

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