Kieran Read battling injury to face Wales
All Blacks captain Kieran Read has been given extra recovery time in order to be fit for the test match against Wales, missing the first training session of the week.
“He’s a bit battered after the last couple [of tests], so we took him out of training today to give him a chance to have an extra 24 hours. He’ll recover quick,” said assistant coach Ian Foster said after the session.
“He gets through a lot of work and at this stage of the year he’s just a bit sore. It’s really a management decision to pull him out today, and give him a chance to walk around and watch training, and hopefully freshen up for later in the week.
“With his experience, he’ll be firing later on.”
The All Blacks will be hoping the precautious approach will give Read and the All Blacks a rejuvenation after Read expressed his concerns over the All Blacks start against Scotland after the match.
“I think for us in that first half it wasn’t a skill thing. We were just 5 percent off maybe attitudinally and we made it hard for ourselves. We were not winning gainlines, we were not winning the chance to make the Scots go backwards so they had front foot ball and were coming off the line really quick.
“In a test match, if you win those, you generally get the rub of the green. It comes from within. It starts with the individual, doesn’t it? So we have to look at ourselves and our preparation to see what we can do better.”
There are already two guaranteed changes to the side that beat Scotland, with star wing Rieko Ioane (shoulder) and lock Luke Romano (plantar fascia) both ruled out.
Meanwhile, Read has copped a blast from Scotland assistant coach Dan McFarland for a “cynical” play late in the Murrayfield test.
In the 72nd minute of the match, with Scotland attacking the All Blacks line, Read appears to deliberately slap the ball out of the grasp of Scotland lock Jonny Gray from an illegal position on the ground.
“That was just cynical wasn’t it,” McFarland told media in Edinburgh in assessing Read’s play. “It should have been a yellow card, quite possibly a try, and quite possibly a penalty try.
“I can see that [all those options] would be something for discussion, but that’s not up for discussion now is it?
“New Zealand are an extremely competitive side and everybody in world rugby knows that when you get the ball into their 22, the very last thing they want to do is concede a try. That’s how they play. They’re very streetwise, they’re very clever.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Aha. An Irishman with logic!
85 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
29 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
226 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
226 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
19 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
19 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to comments