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Nehe Milner-Skudder could make his Highlanders debut against his old franchise
Prior to Dan Carter stealing his thunder, Nehe Milner-Skudder was the prize-recruit for Super Rugby Aotearoa. Like Carter, Milner-Skudder is yet to take the field in the new competition – but his debut for the Highlanders is nearing.
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Milner-Skudder signed for French powerhouse Toulon at the end of 2019 but was never able to make the trip to Europe, instead rehabilitating his shoulder in New Zealand after undergoing surgery in the middle of last year.
Shoulder injuries have plagued the fleet-footed outside back’s career since 2017 when he first dislocated his right shoulder against the Springboks in Cape Town. Re-injuries effectively prevented Milner-Skudder from being able to mount a challenge for a spot at the 2019 World Cup after announcing himself to the world at the 2015 tournament.
While Milner-Skudder wasn’t able to take up his contract with Toulon, the Highlanders have now presented the 29-year-old with a second opportunity to make a mark in New Zealand.
His contract with the Highlanders was revealed in early May and while we’re now entering the third weekend of matches, Milner-Skudder still hasn’t featured for the southerners.
“We’d love to see him out on the field, but we’re taking a cautious approach,” Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger said regarding his new recruit.
“He hasn’t played in 18 months, and we don’t want to set him up to fail. A little bit of that is medical advice and a little bit of that is Nehe as well.
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“Once he is fully confident around that he can take those full hits … he’s not quite there yet, but he is in the final stages. Taking more full-on hits, and also falling on the ground in uncontrolled situations is the last bit of contact to tick off.”
Mauger revealed that this weekend’s match with the Blues was the initial target for Milner-Skudder’s Super Rugby Aotearoa debut but now a return against his old side, the Hurricanes, could be on the cards. Milner-Skudder turned down a contract with the Hurricanes to move south.
“It’s coming,” said Mauger. “It’s not good enough to play and that’s what he’s not playing at the moment, and we’re not putting him in that situation.
“Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks …we’re really guided by the medical staff there.”
The Highlanders’ next two matches are against the Crusaders in Christchurch and the Hurricanes in Wellington, before travelling to Hamilton for a rematch with the Chiefs.
Even though Milner-Skudder hasn’t yet been able to make an impact on the field, however, he’s still passing on his ample experience to the Highlanders’ young outside backs.
“We’ve got a young back three,” acknowledged Mauger. “Scotty [Gregory] and Jona [Nareki] and Vili [Koroi], even Josh McKay is still a young man.
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“The experience and the knowledge that Nehe’s shared since his time down here has been invaluable for those guys, and I’ve seen a lot of growth in all of them on the back of his contribution.”
The Highlanders play the Blues at Eden Park on Saturday evening.
Comments on RugbyPass
I hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
1 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
23 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets 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?
13 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.
10 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.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 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.
25 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
6 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.
10 Go to comments