1
'I'm still pretty angry about it': Injured All Black Tupaea resentful over Swain cleanout
All Black second five-eighth Quinn Tupaea has opened up about his recovery from the ACL injury he suffered in last year’s Bledisloe Cup clash in Melbourne.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 23-year-old was competing a ruck when Wallabies lock Darcy Swain took a low angle to clean him off the ball, hitting the knee area which caused Tupaea to collapse awkwardly with two other Wallabies on top of him.
Tupaea suffered a serious knee injury as a result which has put his World Cup hopes in jeopardy and six months through the recovery he revealed to 1News he still holds resentment over the incident.
The cleanout caused multiple ligament damage and a torn ACL which has been a painful process to recover from, resulting in lingering feelings of anger and resentment for the No 12.
“I’m still pretty angry about it,” he told 1News.
“It’s been tough to let it go – I wouldn’t wish this injury on anyone.
“It’s a terrible injury to go through. It’s probably going to be a long time before I can let it go.
“The start was pretty slow and painful… The first six weeks I struggled to leave the bed and the couch.
“I was stuck at home, I didn’t leave the house for six weeks.”
Swain was yellow carded at the time for the incident and handed a six-week suspension for the dangerous play.
The Chiefs midfielder has only just returned to jogging and will still miss the entire 2023 Super Rugby season leaving him in a race against the clock to be available for the Rugby World Cup.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 14-Test All Black will return to NPC action with Waikato in July in a bid to push for selection but holds doubt over whether he has enough time to do so.
“Before I got injured, obviously, it was my goal to go to the Rugby World Cup but with the All Blacks’ midfield stock at the moment, it’s pretty congested and I’ll be playing no Super Rugby,” he said.
“I’ll be back in time playing for when the World Cup is around but whether I make it… I’m not sure.”
As a result of injuries to Tupaea and David Havili, who was forced off early in the same clash in Melbourne, the All Blacks coaches moved fullback Jordie Barrett into the midfield where he has played since.
The centre partnership of Barrett and Rieko Ioane finished the year as the All Blacks first-choice option.
All of the All Blacks’ most experienced midfielders, Anton Lienert-Brown, Jack Goodhue and Havili, remain sidelined with various injuries but all are expected to return to play ahead of the All Blacks Rugby Championship campaign.
Blues second five-eighth Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is also injured with a hand injury and is expected to miss a month of action.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments