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Damian McKenzie shares update on ACL recovery

By Josh Raisey
All Blacks full-back Damian McKenzie

It is understandable that during the excitement of the World Cup, some players who are absent from rugby’s showpiece tournament are forgotten.

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New Zealand’s Damian McKenzie is such a player.

McKenzie, who established himself as the All Blacks‘ first-choice fullback in 2018, would have surely been a part of the All Blacks squad in Japan but for a devastating ACL injury in April which ruled him out until 2020.

McKenzie had spent much of the season juggling roles as a flyhalf and fullback with the Chiefs, and had started to show some good form in the 15 shirt. To make matters worse, the injury came only a few days after being selected for Steve Hansen’s 41-man foundation squad.

Since then, the elusive fullback has been chronicling his recovery on social media, and recently provided another update on Instagram. The 24-year-old shared videos of himself sprinting, which is yet more encouraging progress for All Blacks and Chiefs fans.

View this post on Instagram

Rain Hail Shine ??

A post shared by Damian Mckenzie (@damianmckenzie_) on

It has been roughly six months since McKenzie sustained the injury playing for the Chiefs in Super Rugby, which means there are still a few months ahead of him before he is once again ready action. He was expected to be out for nine months, so will likely be targeting the start of the 2020 Super Rugby season if everything goes according to plan.

McKenzie’s presence in the All Blacks squad in Japan may have only complicated matters further, as Hansen is already trying to find a way to accommodate both Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett in the squad, opting to play the latter at fullback. This means that Ben Smith either plays on the wing or is shifted to the bench, so it would have been interesting to see what would have happened had the 21-cap international been fit.

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For now, however, McKenzie will be focusing on returning to the All Blacks next season, and he has yet again shown that he is edging closer to his recovery.

Missing seeing the petit dynamo at the World Cup? Have a look at the kind of plays Damian McKenzie produced against the French in 2018:

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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