Crusaders to be without All Blacks duo for opening rounds of Super Rugby Pacific
The Crusaders are set to be without two key All Blacks players for the opening three rounds of the upcoming Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
Star playmaker Richie Mo’unga and loose forward Ethan Blackadder will not feature for the Crusaders until at least round four, when the Christchurch-based franchise host the Chiefs on March 12.
Neither player has travelled with the squad to Queenstown as part of New Zealand Rugby’s nationwide relocation of its Super Rugby Pacific teams due to the threat posed by the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Mo’unga is utilising a clause in his contract that allows him to miss as many as six of his side’s first-up matches of the season, while Blackadder is nursing a hamstring injury he sustained while on All Blacks tour last year.
Both players will subsequently miss their side’s season-opening matches against the Hurricanes, Highlanders and Moana Pasifika, all of which will be played behind closed doors in Dunedin.
Their unavailability leaves Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson reliant on his back-up options, with promising youngster Fergus Burke and veteran pivot Simon Hickey vying for the vacant first-five spot in Mo’unga’s absence.
Burke and Hickey will start each half in their side’s pre-season clash against the Hurricanes in Arrowtown on Saturday, a match that Argentine star Pablo Matera will also start at blindside flanker after having played at No 8 against the Highlanders last week.
Robertson said on Thursday that Blackadder’s exclusion from the travelling squad has, in part, forced Matera’s shift to the side of the scrum, which is where he intends to play the experienced loose forward over the coming weeks.
Matera’s positional switch has opened a berth for one-test All Blacks utility forward Cullen Grace at No 8, while openside flanker Tom Christie will play his first match for the Crusaders since dislocating his shoulder last March.
“We’re going to start him at 6. Ethan Blackadder is out for two-to-three weeks at this stage, maybe longer. He just picked up an injury off the back of the end-of-year tour,” Robertson said.
“Pablo’s played the majority of his international career at 6. Cullen’s really confident at 8 and obviously Tom Christie’s a 7.”
The loss of Mo’unga and Blackadder aren’t the only All Black absences that Robertson has to contend with, though, as midfielder Jack Goodhue is still continuing his recovery in Christchurch after rupturing his ACL last April.
Goodhue missed the entire All Blacks season as a result of that injury and hasn’t played rugby of any kind in the last 10 months, but Robertson remained upbeat about the 18-test international’s return to action.
“We’ve got a little hub back in Christchurch. They’re training away. We’ve got a coach, a [strength and conditioning coach] and a physio with them,” Robertson said.
“They’ve got some rugby components that they can get in. The big one is the challenge for us to give them rugby so they can play and they can get ready before we come back into our fore, so we’re managing that from afar.”
A further injury to former All Blacks wing Waisake Naholo, who pulled up lame with a hamstring injury shortly before the Crusaders departed to Queenstown, has led to Tasman prospect Macca Springer earning a call-up to the squad.
Springer will play in the second half of the Hurricanes match this weekend, as will Otago prop Abraham Pole, who has been slated to play in the No 1 jersey with full-time squad member Finlay Brewis.
Pole and Springer are among four players that have joined the core group of 35 players in Queenstown as injury cover.
Robertson deemed that move necessary given the five-day self-isolation period and three Covid tests players must undertake if they join the squad from outside the team bubble.
“For someone to do that, it’s a big call, hence we brought four guys on top of our 35 to give us depth and cover our All Blacks, and also a couple of injuries.”
Elsewhere, four All Blacks – captain Scott Barrett, Joe Moody, George Bridge and Braydon Ennor – have all been named to play against the Hurricanes and will play 40 minutes due to their lighter workload on last year’s tour of the United States and Europe.
The squad’s remaining six All Blacks – Sam Whitelock, Will Jordan, Codie Taylor, Sevu Reece, David Havili and George Bower – will all be free to play in next Saturday’s season-opener against the Hurricanes at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to comments