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'Close to creaking' Northampton backline hit with a 5th major injury

By Online Editors
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Northampton’s horror run of injuries to their backline is showing no signs of abating.

Only last week Harry Mallinder was ruled out for the remainder of the season, now another name has been added to the Saints long-term injury list.

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Their 6’5″ centre Andy Symons, who only joined the club in the summer, has had an ACL reconstruction that has ended his campaign.

Another centre, Nafi Tuitavake, is set to have shoulder surgery, while Samoan international Ken Pisi is also out until February, also with a shoulder problem.

“We’re close to creaking but not there yet” Director of Rugby Chris Boyd reportedly told a Saints season ticket holders forum, according to the Northampton Chronicle.

“Andy Symons’ season has finished because he’s had an ACL reconstruction.

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Northampton’s backline is looking threadbare, they will also be without their Wales fly half Dan Biggar for two Premiership matches during the international window, their home game with Wasps on November 17th, followed by the away match at Sale Sharks a week later.

“There’s six all out in the one space so we’re getting pretty thin in that (backline) area, but the guys who are left are going well.

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“We’re very blessed to be left with a couple of young boys: Fraser Dingwall, who played well last weekend, and Fraser Strachan, who came on.

“We’re putting some faith in our youth to fill that hole for now, but we’re not far away from having to call in the cavalry.”

Symons’ arrival had been much anticipated, with the bulky centre having plenty of Premiership experience, making over 50 appearances for Worcester and spending two seasons at Gloucester before his arrival at Franklin’s Gardens.

Watch: Northampton DOR Chris Boyd discusses Hartley and the team’s style of play

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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