All Blacks captain Sam Cane has thrown his support behind vilified referee Ben O’Keeffe – saying the online abuse is unacceptable – and moved to clarify his notable absence from the Chiefs post-match press conference following their Super Rugby final defeat.

O’Keeffe went public with a message on his Instagram page on Tuesday to reveal the string of vitriolic abuse and threats he received following the Crusaders 25-20 victory over the Chiefs in the Super Rugby finale in Hamilton on Saturday.

The Chiefs received three yellow cards – one to Cane late in the match – and were on the wrong side of a 15-8 penalty count.

O’Keeffe and his officials missed one clear forward pass that set the platform for a Crusaders try in the first half but Anton Lienert-Brown, who has since received a three-week suspension, was fortunate to escape with a yellow card for his tackle on Crusaders wing Dallas McLeod.

Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan highlighted the forward pass incident post-match but then phoned O’Keeffe after his public post to check on his welfare.

Cane called on the New Zealand rugby public to improve their attitudes towards officials.

 “The dark side of social media is people can throw shade or abuse from behind their phone,” Cane told the Herald as the All Blacks launched their Adidas World Cup jersey in Auckland on Wednesday. “Referees are no different to players, I believe, in the sense that they’re out there doing their absolute best. They’re making split-second decisions.

“There will always be decisions they make that players, teams and people don’t agree with. But we don’t have a game without the referee. They’re in a tough job. We appreciate that. Us as players there’s no way we’re going to abuse a referee.

“We respect them and their job. It is a shame people feel the need to do that but it’s awesome to see he’s called it out and a lot of people have got in behind him. That sort of behaviour is unacceptable, and I’d hate for it to filter down even further to the grassroots where volunteers give up their time so people can play the game we love.”

While Cane took part in the televised Sky presentations he didn’t front media at Waikato Stadium after the Chiefs defeat, as is customary for the coach and captain from both teams.

When Chiefs coach McMillan arrived for his post-match duties he explained Cane’s absence by saying: “It’s just me boys as you can understand there’s a few upset boys.”

Cane has since been widely criticised for seemingly opting out of fronting in the wake of the devastating defeat but he moved to explain his version of events.

“The basic facts are it’s been misreported that I made a decision not to go to the post match press conference which is entirely incorrect. Clayton made a decision on his own. He knew a lot of the boys, myself included, were hurting so he decided to take it on the chin and do it himself. That’s the type of bloke he is. I wasn’t aware or involved in that decision until later.

“It’s pretty clear from the past I’ve always fronted up to media post games. It was only five minutes after the final whistle I was on the stand addressing fans, acknowledging how well the Crusaders had played on live TV.”

Referee Ben O'Keeffe during the Super Rugby Pacific final between the Chiefs and the Crusaders. Photo / Photosport

Five days on from the final, the hurt of being unable to send off departing veterans Brad Weber and Brodie Retallick with the Chiefs’ first championship in a decade lingers.

With the All Blacks staging their first training as a full squad in Auckland on Tuesday, as they prepare to depart for their opening Rugby Championship test in Argentina next week, there is little time to dwell on the result.

“Saturday was tough particularly being at home in front of your fans and the season we had and not being able to send a couple of Chiefs legends out on a high really stung,” Cane said. “At the time it’s hard to see any good. As the days wear on you look through a different lens and see we still had an awesome season, there’s plenty to be proud of and plenty to build on.

“It’s been a quick switch coming up here to join the All Blacks and put all the focus on that. It’s a good way to move on.”

Launching the World Cup jersey offered another timely reminder that the All Blacks have five tests to nail preparations for the pinnacle event.

“It’s going to creep up pretty quickly and it makes you release we’ve got a lot of work to do but that’s exciting.”

Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010, and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.