'He's got to prove he's good enough': Why Nehe Milner-Skudder's Highlanders debut may have to wait until next year
He may have been heralded as one of the biggest signings leading into the Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, but Highlanders outside back Nehe Milner-Skudder may not be available until next season.
That was the verdict given by the franchise’s assistant coach Tony Brown, who revealed on Wednesday the injury-riddled former All Black has returned to full contact training following a lengthy sideline stint.
It has been over a year-and-a-half since the 29-year-old last appeared on the field, with his most recent outing coming for the All Blacks in their 69-31 victory over Japan in November 2018.
A persistent shoulder injury has kept him from playing, though, with a deal with Top 14 side Toulon thwarted by his ongoing rehabilitation.
Unable to link up with the French club, Milner-Skudder subsequently inked a two-year contract with the Highlanders in May.
Hopes have been high in Dunedin that the 13-test star would be able to strut his stuff under the roof of Forsyth Barr Stadium during Super Rugby Aotearoa.
An increased volume of training in recent weeks have been positive signs that the ex-Hurricanes speedster will be able to play, with Highlanders boss Aaron Mauger previously indicating that he could appear at the latter end of the Kiwi domestic league.
That, however, hasn’t happened yet, and Brown provided an update on when fans can expect Milner-Skudder to don the blue and gold jersey.
“Milner-Skudder’s starting to get into some full contact stuff with us, but he’ll still be a couple of weeks away,” Brown said.
Brown, who was assistant coach for Japan when Milner-Skudder last played against the Brave Blossoms two years ago, added that the new signing could feature in the last match of the season against the Hurricanes in Dunedin on August 15.
That would see him pitted against his old franchise, and potentially against his former teammate Julian Savea, who has re-joined the Hurricanes from Toulon as injury cover for the remainder of the campaign.
The Hurricanes conceded that, like Milner-Skudder, Savea will need to be brought up to speed in terms of fitness, with the Wellington club targeting the Highlanders clash as a possible return date for the 54 test ex-All Black.
Milner-Skudder, meanwhile, will need to come through unscathed at grassroots level before he is considered for Highlanders selection.
“I think Nehe’s got to prove himself that he’s good enough to play at this level, and obviously in the past he has been,” Brown said.
“He’s been out a long time, so he’s going to have to get into a lot of contact, potentially play a bit of club rugby, and if the signs are good, he potentially might make it for that last game.”
He noted a precautionary approach has been taken with Milner-Skudder’s return to action as he re-adjusts to the rigours of professional rugby.
“It would have been great to get Nehe out there three or four weeks ago, but we’ve just got to make sure that he’s a hundred percent confident in his shoulder.
“He’s been through the work, and if he can prove that he is good enough to fit into the side, then we’ll select him.”
Should he fail to prove his fitness in training and at club level, though, Highlanders fans will have to wait until 2021 to see Milner-Skudder turn out for their side.
In the meantime, the southerners will continue to prepare for their do-or-die encounter with the Blues in Dunedin on Sunday.
The outcome of that match will go a long way to determining which sides will still be in the running for the tightly-contested Super Rugby Aotearoa title.
This match was supposed to be dead in the water but the latest reports suggest that's no longer the case. #AllBlacks #Kangarooshttps://t.co/sctIfwdKm7
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 28, 2020
That alone means there will be no shortage of motivation for either team, but Highlanders co-captain Ash Dixon highlighted the significance of the fixture as the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy is set to go on the line.
Hunter coached both franchises prior to his passing in 2002, and Dixon made no secret of the legacy the former All Blacks selector left in Dunedin.
“I think the longer I’ve been in this team, the more it’s impacted me,” Dixon said of the unique rivalry between the Highlanders and Blues.
“Especially when the older guys turn up and come in, from Browny’s [Tony Brown] era, and talk about, not what he was like as a coach, but what he actually did for the team.
“His whole love for the game and the club was awesome, so we use that as a bit of inspiration.
“We obviously didn’t get to meet him or be coached by him, but the way they speak about him, half of them are quite teary and get really emotional about it.
“We’ve had it for eight years now, and that’s by no surprise, there’s been some pretty big efforts against mighty Blues teams, but we’ve had to dig really deep, and there’s no surprises this weekend we’re going to have to [dig deep again].
“But we’re prepared for it, and we’ve just got to go out there and enjoy our rugby and play the rugby we can.”
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments