All Blacks captain Sam Cane is expected to miss at least six months while being sidelined after a shoulder reconstruction.
Early stages after the initial diagnosis were “frustrating”, with a torn pectoral later leading to three other issues requiring treatment.
“Frustrating’s a good word, it’s probably where I was at the early stages just after diagnosis,” he said on SENZ’s Mornings with Ian Smith.
“I’d been told I tore my pec (pectoral), but when they went in and had a look there were three other things that needed tidying up.
“So the first initial thought was four to six months, which is the pec range. Once I ended up getting the full shoulder reconstruction it was always going to be six months.”
Despite losing “a few kilos”, Cane’s recovery is progressing well with his main focus being getting full movement and range back. From there, his focus will shift to working on his strength.
Cane is already looking ahead to the six-month mark and the Bay of Plenty schedule.
“I’ve looked at where the six-month mark sits post-surgery and there’s two or three games on the Bay of Plenty schedule before playoffs, so will be pretty nice to be able to pull on the Bay jersey,” he said.
While his recovery is slightly ahead of schedule, Cane will ensure that it’s at 100 per cent before returning to the game.
“One of those injuries that will be ready when it’s ready, and although I’m probably slightly ahead of schedule at the moment, I’m just not getting my hopes up and will make sure it’s 100 per cent,” he said.
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