Brodie Retallick's injury return date delayed - again
Injured Chiefs and All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick won’t return to the rugby field for at least another two weeks.
That’s the verdict from Chiefs head coach Colin Cooper, who had expected Retallick to be available for this weekend’s clash against the Crusaders in Suva, Fiji.
Retallick’s anticipated return from torn wrist ligaments for Saturday’s Kiwi derby was one that had already been delayed, as the 75-test second rower, who turns 28 on Friday, was expected to return to last week against the Reds in Hamilton, which his side won 19-13.
After sustaining the injury during his side’s 33-29 win over the Blues seven weeks ago, Chiefs assistant coach Tabai Matson said he expected his star man to return his side’s match against the Hurricanes two weeks later, but continual delays in Retallick’s return to action means he won’t be sighted until their final match of the season against the Rebels in Melbourne, at the earliest.
Joining Retallick in the medical ward is Chiefs and All Blacks teammate Nathan Harris, who left the field against the Reds with a dead leg.
Chiefs head coach Colin Cooper said that Harris would be taking one of his All Blacks rest weeks instead of boarding the plane to Fiji, but he is expecting the 27-year-old hooker to also return against the Rebels on June 14.
Cooper also praised the return from a potentially career-ending broken neck injury by Sam Cane, who started his first match in seven months against the Reds since picking up the injury against South Africa last October.
“He’s easing in pretty hard, isn’t he? He did some brutal work [in 50 minutes against the Reds] and you probably don’t realise it until after you look at his game. Some of the hits he put in were huge,” Cooper said.
Cane’s presence within the Chiefs match day side will be integral to attaining an unlikely result against the competition-leading and reigning back-to-back champion Crusaders, as the Hamilton franchise continue to pursue their slim chances of qualifying for the play-offs.
After defending their tryline for the last half an hour against the Reds and finishing the contest with just 29 percent possession, 27 percent territory and a whopping tackle count of 257, Cooper said a similar approach against the Crusaders wouldn’t be sufficient enough for victory, but was proud of his side’s defensive efforts.
“They’re a tough bunch. We haven’t done a lot of physical contact [since] because of that effort,” he said.
“That’s the beauty of this team; they’ve got a great attitude.
“But that won’t be enough to beat the Crusaders, so we’ve got to be smarter, win the territory game, and keep the ball.”
The Crusaders currently sit atop the Super Rugby standings with 53 points to their name, while the Chiefs lie in 11th place with 27 points, three shy of a top eight berth.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Firstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
99 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
99 Go to commentsHo hum.
99 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
99 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
99 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
99 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
99 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
99 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
99 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
99 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
99 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
99 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
99 Go to comments