All Blacks look to Sam Cane for calm words in clutch moments

After their previous defeats to the Pumas, in Sydney in 2020 and Christchurch in 2022, the All Blacks responded fiercely with 38-0 and 53-3 victories over the Argentines in the return fixtures.

Coach Scott Robertson is taking no chances for Saturday's Auckland clash, however, and on Thursday added former captain Sam Cane to his team as loose forward cover on the bench.

"Experience," he fired back immediately when asked by reporters what the 95-cap flanker would bring to the side.

"He's so experienced and he's got the ability to play a couple of positions, and he knows what these big test matches are about.

"His influence on the group, his little bit of gold just at the timing of the information, how it's delivered. His tone is pretty special, so there's another opportunity for him in the black jersey."

The All Blacks lost a huge amount of experience when the usual round of retirements and departures for lucrative contracts abroad came at the end of last year's World Cup.

Three of the 10 most capped New Zealanders were no longer available to Robertson when he took over as coach for this season.

Sam Whitelock (153 caps) and Brodie Retallick (109) were the second-row engine room for more than a decade, while scrumhalf Aaron Smith (125) and flyhalf Richie Mo'unga (56) had steered the All Blacks around the park at two World Cups.

Cane will join them in bringing an end to his test career at the end of the season but has offered himself to Robertson for the remainder of the year.

If he never plays for his country again, Saturday will also offer Cane the chance to bookend his career with a match other than last year's World Cup final in Paris, where he was sent off as the All Blacks lost to South Africa.

Robertson conceded that there had been a lack of calm in his side at the end of last week's clash as the Pumas scored 10 points to none in the last 11 minutes to clinch victory.

"Yeah, I think calmness is something Sam's got in his game," Robertson said. "Great messages at the right time."