All Blacks captain Sam Cane on Monday announced he will retire from international duty at the end of the year before taking up a long-term contract with Japan Rugby League One side Tokyo Sungoliath.
The 32-year-old backrower will return home to New Zealand following the current Japanese club season and will be eligible to be selected by the All Blacks for their 2024 test slate, which includes a meeting with Japan on Oct. 26 in Yokohama.
Cane plans to relocate with his family to Tokyo next year after signing a three-year contract with Sungoliath that will take him through the 2026-27 League One season.
"A good opportunity came my way with Suntory Sungoliath willing to offer me a three-year contract," Cane said in a statement from New Zealand Rugby. "It was something we had to seriously consider as a family due to the stage I am at in my career."
Cane joined Sungoliath on a one-year deal at the start of this season but has been sidelined since late January with a back injury.
The 95-cap All Black captained his country 27 times, including at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. He was a member of the 2015 World Cup-winning New Zealand side and won two Super Rugby championships with the Chiefs.
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