Highlanders hit with another injury blow as Josh Ioane deemed available for selection again
Highlanders star Josh Ioane will be available to play for his side again when they face the Chiefs in Dunedin this Saturday.
Ioane, Marino Mikaele-Tu’u, Patelesio Tomkinson, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Teariki Ben-Nicholas and Sione Misiloi all missed last week’s shock 33-12 win over the Crusaders in Christchurch after they were stood down for disciplinary reasons.
The suspension of Ioane was particularly eye-catching given his talent and stature within the franchise as a one-test All Black, but Highlanders assistant coach Clarke Dermody confirmed on Tuesday that the 25-year-old is free to play this weekend.
“As Tony said last week, they need to earn their way back in, so I guess, for them, it’s about earning the trust of the boys again,” he said.
“They’re doing that. They’ve put their heads down and started working. They’re all available for selection, but it’s up to the coaches and leaders if they’ve earned that spot.”
Whether any of those six players – barring Lienert-Brown, who is out until later this month with a broken arm – will come back into this week’s side remains to be seen given how well last week’s team performed against the reigning champions.
Among the standouts in that match were midfielder Thomas Umaga-Jensen and halfback Folau Fakatava, but both players have picked up injuries that have put a dent in their seasons.
Umaga-Jensen will miss the remainder of the season due to a broken arm in what is the latest blow for a young player that has shown glimpses of his vast potential but has been riddled with injury in recent seasons.
The 23-year-old made his first Super Rugby appearance in two years when he played against the Hurricanes a fortnight ago, and he will have to wait until next year to play for the Highlanders again.
Dermody said he was disappointed for Umaga-Jensen, the twin brother of one-test All Blacks midfielder Peter, and confirmed that Otago product and ex-Sunwolves midfielder Josh Timu had been called into the squad as injury cover.
“Gutted for Thomas. He worked really hard to get back. He’s a big man and he got himself into awesome condition and then was playing well,” Dermody said.
“The time frame, I think, is very similar to Daniel Lienert-Brown, so you’re looking at three months. Gutted for him. He’s only a young fella and he’s had some big setbacks through injuries, but we’ve seen how talented he is so I’m sure he’ll be back again.”
"Can the All Blacks’ captain also be a bloke who picks fights with the journalists on social media?"
– Hamish Bidwell on the predicament ahead for the All Blacks' coaching staff and selectors following Sam Cane's injury https://t.co/3qYp5ItpSv— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 6, 2021
As for Fakatava, the highly-promising 21-year-old left the field last weekend with a swollen knee that Dermody said needs to be scanned before a decision can be made regarding his availability for the Chiefs clash.
Losing Fakatava would be a significant blow for the Dunedin-based franchise given how effective his partnership with co-captain Aaron Smith has been in the match day side.
“He adds a different dynamic to our team,” Dermody said. “Him and Aaron working together – they were a big part of that win on the weekend, two different styles, so we’ll give him everything he needs.”
The pair add to a growing injury list at the Highlanders, as Liam Squire (knee), Jermaine Ainsley (ankle), Fetuli Paea (ankle) and Freedom Vahaakolo (foot) have all been ruled out for the remainder of the season with various injuries.
In more positive injury news, wing Sam Gilbert is set to play his first match in 10 months after he ruptured his ACL while playing for the Highlanders against the Blues in Auckland last June.
Dermody said the 22-year-old is scheduled for limited minutes at grassroots level this weekend before being considered for selection at the Highlanders.
“He’s progressing really well. I think he’s down to play club footy this week. Obviously been a long time out for him, but he’s down for 20-30 minutes of club footy, so he’ll start returning back into the fray.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets 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?
10 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.
10 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.
14 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 commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments