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Kruis: 'I will be out for eight to ten weeks'

By Chris Jones
(Photo by Getty Images)

England lock George Kruis has just one more game to negotiate before ankle surgery rules him out for two months and believes he can help power Saracens to their most complete performance of a topsy-turvy season against reigning champions Exeter in Saturday’s Aviva Premiership play-off final at Twickenham

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The British and Irish Lions forward, who played in the first test against the All Blacks in the drawn series last summer, is part of a 21 strong list of players not able to tour with England to South Africa next month including Jonathan Joseph, Courtney Lawes, Anthony Watson, Jack Willis and captain Dylan Hartley.

Kruis’s omission from the tour party is with the blessing of England head coach Eddie Jones who like Saracens wants one of the World’s outstanding lineout technicians fully fit for the start of next season which leads into the World Cup in Japan.

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For Kruis the operation is secondary to the need to play his part in making Saracens English rugby’s top team again by beating an Exeter side that knocked them out of the play-off semi-finals last season a week after their successful defence of the European Champions Cup against Clermont in Murrayfield. Having been beaten by eventual champions Leinster in the Cup quarter-finals, Saracens have been able to enjoy a quieter build up and the manner of their 57-33 semi-final win over Wasps last weekend was a warning to Exeter.

While Kruis believes their first half showing against Wasps was the best the team has delivered in a season that saw them suffer seven successive defeats before Christmas, he knows it will take something even better to overcome the reigning champions. He said: “Our performance in the first half against Wasps was as complete as we have been all season. We have had halves when we were good but also periods that have been pretty average compared to the standards we set for ourselves.

“Our challenge will be to deliver our best performance against Exeter who are a very good side. We know what kind of challenge they pose and how they like to play and the onus is on us to put our stamp on the game.

“We have had a lot of ups and down plus a fair few injuries in the season and now we are just excited about finishing a project we started four or five weeks ago. We have been professional moving from one project to the next and this is the last one.

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“My ankle has been something I have had to deal with for a while and at this stage of the season lots of players have something wrong with them and it’s about how you manage it.

“I will be out for eight to ten weeks and will be back within the pre-season period and will be able to get some good training under my belt. You want to be involved in every tour but as my body won’t let me this time then I will take the rest and go from there.”

Saracens club mate Billy Vunipola may join the list of players unable to tour with England if his hamstring becomes a problem again the final against Exeter having forced him off at half time in the win over Wasps at Allianz Park last weekend. Vunipola admitted to BT Sport that the frustration of his knee ligament operation followed by a broken arm suffered against the Ospreys had driven him to tears of frustration. Vunipola said: “I came off as a precaution against Wasps and the biggest challenge this season has been doubting myself and asking what have I been doing wrong. Are the injuries my fault?

“There were points where I cried out of frustration and in my head it was about accepting the situation rather than fighting against it particularly after the Ospreys game. Maybe you push yourself too hard to get back.”

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

11 Go to comments
T
Trevor 4 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.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 8 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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