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Cullen Grace's All Blacks re-call hopes dashed by season-ending injury
One-test All Blacks loose forward Cullen Grace’s chances of a test re-call this year have ended prematurely after sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury.
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The 21-year-old injured his sternoclavicular joint in a pre-season match against Tasman in Hanmer last month, leaving him sidelined for the entire NPC season, which only kicked-off last week.
It is the latest injury blow for Grace, who missed a large chunk of last year’s Super Rugby Aotearoa due to a fractured thumb.
That wasn’t enough to stop All Blacks head coach Ian Foster from selecting him in last year’s Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship squad, though.
The youngster went on to make his test debut off the bench against Australia in the final Bledisloe Cup clash at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, making a five-minute cameo appearance in the 24-22 defeat to the Wallabies.
Despite starting in most matches for the Crusaders this year, Grace struggled to impress as much as he did the year beforehand.
In the midst of what appeared to be a case of second season syndrome, Crusaders boss Scott Robertson called for more from the utility forward – who can cover blindside flanker, No 8 and lock – in April.
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While the Crusaders went on to claim their second successive Super Rugby Aotearoa crown, their fifth Super Rugby title in a row, Grace didn’t show enough to win a place in Foster’s All Blacks squad this year.
He was subsequently named in Canterbury’s NPC squad for the 2021 season, and was expected to feature heavily for the red-and-blacks as they target their first provincial title since 2017.
Grace will have to watch his side’s title tilt from the sidelines, though, as he aims to return to action with the Crusaders in next year’s revamped Super Rugby competition.
At his best, Grace is a hard-hitting defender whose presence at the set piece and breakdown is a highly-valued asset for whichever team he plays for.
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Grace joins a lengthy list of names on Canterbury’s injured list, with flanker Tom Christie (shoulder) and lock Mitchell Dunshea (neck) also out for the NPC season.
Loose forwards Reed Prinsep and Billy Harmon, hooker Brodie McAlister, Fijian international Manasa Mataele and lock Zach Gallagher are other injury concerns.
Canterbury kicked-off their NPC season with a 35-24 defeat at the hands of Auckland at Eden Park last Sunday, but will look to utilise the likes of Waisake Naholo and Braydon Ennor to overcome Manawatu in Christchurch on Saturday.
Comments on RugbyPass
Hey Finn, Well done to the Junior Wallabies…a win is a win but it was a wet and scrappy game. Would be interesting to hear your opinion on two things from watching the game at the Not So Sunny Coast Stadium. Firstly, what is your opinion on the rule change of being able to call The Mark from a kick off and what is the reason for the change? Secondly, your thoughts on the lack of action for the high tackle on the SA fullback. I understand the TMO ruled that he had fallen into the tackle and the tackler didn’t have time to adjust but it was clearly shoulder on head and the Aussie 11 had not made any attempt to adjust his tackle height leading into the tackle. In my opinion he was never going to get his tackle technique correct to complete a safe tackle. If that tackle was made at a more senior and more scrutinised level would we have seen the same result?
2 Go to commentsI don’t think this has been ventilated enough. Discuss. Perhaps the lesson in all of this is that, in the game of life, one should do all the talking on the field of play. And in the game of rugby, what’s said on the field - stays on the field. Take care of yourselves. And each other.
28 Go to commentsLow skills compared to the Junior ABs. The ball handling and ball retention of the SAns in particular was utterly woeful. The latter will be better on home turf.
2 Go to comments1. Heard this so often over the yrs. One Warriors CEO even claimed future kids wouldnt know which came first, the ABs or the Warriors. Always keen to talk themselves up. 2. That fella Barakat who says he will drop HBHS sponsorship because HBHS quite rightly wants its players to focus on rugby is an odd fit as a sponsor in the first place. As a recruitment official for the Warriors he seems to regard his sponsorship as a paid licence to help to select players from HBHS for the league side. Maybe he should find a league school to fund.
1 Go to commentsNZ U20s are the team to beat this year for sure. And how nice after so long that NZRFU is actually taking this seriously. For far too long they have been sending woefully coached and woefully underprepared teams to the U20 WCs. That Wrampling boy is a star in the making.
2 Go to commentsI agree ..come on keyboard warriors and journalists looking for a cheap win ….. only 2 mins to go 12 points down …this DID NOT decide the game and beside JM was hit after the whistle and in response it was a pat on the back of the head …harmless ….watch soccer if this is your issue
4 Go to commentsRest is for namby pamby sissies, I see. True men should overcome their trifling injuries by playing week in, week out. Bidwell’s stance reminds me of a Jon Gadsby character from the 70s, a rugby captain giving an after-match speech: “It was a very physical contest. One of our players caught a boot on the back of his head in a ruck, and he died, actually. But to his credit, he played on.”
1 Go to commentsI still see nothing in Sotutus play that hes changed his upright running style that failed so many times against decent international defences like the french. Other than that… Iose? Well you have covered his limitations well. If Sititi had been playing the the season… Jacobson? Grace?…Neither shout pick me. So Ardie it is.
1 Go to commentsThere isn’t one element you mentioned there that every top class or successful team gets up to. The great All blacks sides used to play on the ‘fringes or edge’ but it was essentially saying they were doing something illegal or borderline to gain dominance. The fine margins at the top are minute between the top sides. La Rochelle, the crusaders, Saracens, Toulon etc etc…..have all been accused. Get over it, the comment comes across as salty and naive. Northampton as well as they played to get back into the match were thoroughly beaten and controlled for 60 minutes and Leinster have only themselves to blame for kicking it away and hence losing control of the match and being nearly the architects of their own downfall.
2 Go to commentsThere is some talent coming thru thats for sure. The 10 looks special to me. Rico Simpson is a name to look for in the future.
2 Go to commentsI think this quiet honestly is just an innocent misunderstanding by someone who is pig sh*t stupid. Eben is a fine player but by christ, if he can’t understand or get what the Irish players were trying to say to him after the match…..well i hope he has someone looking after his finances, career and is reading the fine print for him, cause life after rugby may be quite difficult for the vacuous echo chamber.
28 Go to commentsIt could be Doris' day!
3 Go to commentsThe whole thing has blown up because Eben’s words have clearly struck a nerve in Ireland. Otherwise they would just laugh it off. I think some former Irish players, commentators and some Irish fans know deep down this Ireland team started to believe its own press and that a certain amount of arrogance had started to creep in during the World Cup. The topic was actually brought up by Irish pundits on Off the Ball recently. It’s fine to be arrogant if you can back it up. Ireland didn’t.
28 Go to comments‘The Irish are good people'. Why is Goode praising a people who hate his own? Wet wipe.
28 Go to commentsLa mejor final que se puede ver en el emisferio norte.
1 Go to commentsA lot of cope from south africans in the comments. Etzebeth is a liar and a hypocrite; you don’t have to defend him!
28 Go to commentsHe got big and really slow for a flyhalf…not sure he’s relevant in a bok conversation anymore
4 Go to commentsBest tourney team vs best team in the regular season for 3 games in RSA - talk is cheap, let’s see what’s what on the tour
28 Go to commentsOne overlooked statistic from their 2016 winning season is the Huricanes are still the only team in Super rugby history not to concede a try during the playoff rounds.
4 Go to commentsThanks for the article, Nick. The Nienaber blitz D does ask a lot of its scrumhalf. I have been watching JGP on D and he often looks like he has mastered what Nienaber asks for better than Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach! 🤣 Impressive season by JGP if I must make an understatement.
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