All Blacks stars near Super Rugby return for Highlanders
All Blacks duo Liam Squire and Waisake Naholo are close to making their returns to Super Rugby after prolonged injury lay-offs.
Hip and knee issues have prevented loose forward Squire from taking to the field this year, while winger Naholo picked up a knee injury in training almost four weeks ago.
Squire’s knee injury, sustained last month, was expected to rule him out of action for between eight to 10 weeks, and Naholo’s niggle was supposed to keep him sidelined for up to six weeks, but both players are ahead of schedule in their recovery, and could feature for the Highlanders as early as next Saturday in their home derby against the Chiefs in Dunedin.
Their speedy recoveries come not long after the return of star halfback Aaron Smith from an ankle injury, which was initially meant to keep him out of action for up to six weeks, but the 30-year-old came back after just three weeks.
“Both of those guys [Squire and Naholo] are potentially ready for maybe next week or the following week,” Highlanders head coach Aaron Mauger told Stuff on Saturday.
“We’re very fortunate we’ve got an outstanding medical staff who do everything they can to get our boys back on the field as soon as possible.
“We saw that with Aaron Smith and few other guys who have come back this year from some niggles, so hopefully those guys will either be back either next week or the week after.”
The addition of both Squire and Naholo will be a boost to a resurgent-looking Highlanders outfit, who, after enduring a five-match winless run, have won back-to-back matches and catapulted from 13th-place to fifth on the Super Rugby standings after their 52-0 thumping of the Sunwolves in Tokyo on Friday.
“There’s no guarantees,” Mauger said.
“There’s still a lot of work to get through before they are considered for selection but they’ve been very dedicated to the plans put in place by the medical staff.
“Marty Banks is also due back in a few weeks as well.
“Hopefully we’ll have all those guys fit and ready for the Jaguares game [in Dunedin on May 11] or heading into Africa, at least.”
While the imminent return of Squire and Naholo is promising for the Dunedin-based franchise, a foot injury to first-five Bryn Gatland, sustained in Friday’s win over the Sunwolves, appears to be of quite some significance.
Gatland was in discomfort as he was carried from the field by teammates in the closing stages of the fixture after coming off the bench for fellow pivot Josh Ioane.
The injury will require scans to see how long the 23-year-old is ruled out for, but should it be for an extensive period of time, Ioane will be the squad’s only fit specialist first-five, with Banks still recovering from the broken foot he picked up against the Hurricanes three weeks ago.
Mauger told Stuff that in the absence of both Banks and Gatland, outside back Josh McKay could be used in a playmaking role.
“Josh has played No 10 for the Bravehearts [the Highlanders’ reserve side] this year,” Mauger said.
“He played a lot of No 10 in his early years, at school and through the age grades and he’s run a lot at No 10 at training.
“If Josh had to play at No 10 we’d back him to do the job.
“If he gets that opportunity I’m sure he’ll take it with both hands.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Good to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
16 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
16 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
16 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
16 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
16 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
16 Go to comments