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Peter Lakai called in as three All Blacks ruled out of clash with Japan
By Finn Morton
In what has come as a concerning blow for the All Blacks ahead of their trip to Japan and Europe, three players have been ruled out of the first Test through injury. Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson and Dalton Papali’i will not be available to travel with the squad.
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Uncapped prospect Peter Lakai is now in the mix to debut for the All Blacks after being called into the squad for the Japan Test along with lock Josh Lord. Lakai was sensational for the Hurricanes during Super Rugby Pacific and that form carried into the NPC with Wellington.
But, this news does come as another blow for Blackadder, whose absence from the Test arena will extend into a fourth Test. Blackadder was one of the best on ground in the tense loss to the Springboks in Johannesburg, but the backrower has mostly been kept on the sidelines since then.
Blackadder was named to start at No. 8 for Tasman in last weekend’s NPC quarter-final against Canterbury in Nelson, but the All Black was withdrawn just before kick-off. The Mako went on to lose by a staggering 48 points to their arch-rivals.
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“This is hugely disappointing for Ethan, Luke and Dalton, but we know they will be working on recovering well and with a view to making themselves available again as soon as possible,” coach Scott Robertson said in a statement.
“This opens up opportunities for some other players though. We are excited to be welcoming Josh back into the group and giving Peter Lakai his chance to wear the All Blacks jersey.
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“We will assess the status of Ethan, Luke and Dalton’s injuries prior to travelling to England, to determine whether we are going to require that additional injury cover.”
Seven members of the All Blacks XV squad will also travel to Japan as training cover. Bradley Slater, George Bower, Fabian Holland, Christian Lio-Willie, and Oliver Haig are the five forwards, while the two backs at Harry Plummer and AJ Lam.
In a win for the provincial game, none of these players represent teams who are set to play in the semi-finals this weekend. All Blacks XV coach Clayton McMillan confirmed last week that squad members would otherwise be free to play in the semis and final.
After their time in Japan, these players will then fly to Ireland where they’ll link up with the rest of the All Blacks XV squad. However, one final call-up is possible to fill the 36th spot in the All Blacks XV squad for the remainder of their Northern Tour.
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Members of All Blacks XV squad travelling to Japan as injury cover
Forwards
Bradley Slater (Hooker)
George Bower (Prop)
Fabian Holland (Lock)
Christian Lio-Willie (Loose forward)
Oliver Haig (Loose forward)
Backs
Harry Plummer (First five-eighth)
AJ Lam (Midfielder)
All Blacks fixtures
Saturday 26 October – All Blacks vs Japan, 6.50PM (NZST), Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
Sunday 03 November – All Blacks vs England, 4.10AM (NZST), Allianz Stadium (Twickenham), London
Saturday 09 November – All Blacks vs Ireland, 9.10AM (NZST), Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sunday 17 November – All Blacks vs France, 9.10AM (NZST), Stade de France, Paris
Sunday 24 November – All Blacks vs Italy, 9.10AM (NZST), Allianz Stadium, Turin