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SBW injured, throwing World Cup chances in doubt

Sonny Bill Williams (Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images)

Oft-injured All Blacks midfielder Sonny Bill Williams has reportedly pulled up with a tight hamstring at All Blacks training, casting doubt on his chances of making a third World Cup.

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Stuff has reported that Williams could be unavailable for the All Blacks’ first test of the year against Argentina in Buenos Aires. The match is still two weeks away.

Williams has had a horrid run with injuries over the latter stages of his career and has managed only a limited number of appearances for the Blues in 2019. The second five ran out for Ponsonby Club last weekend as a way of maintaining match fitness, but that could all be in vain.

Steve Hansen has previously said that Williams has nothing to prove in the lead up to the World Cup, but the selectors will struggle to justify Williams’ inclusion in the squad if he has played so little rugby in 2019.

An official announcement out of the All Blacks camp is expected soon.

More to come…

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cw 6 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Thanks JW for clarifying your point and totally agree. The ABs are still trying to find their mojo” - that spark of power that binds and defines them. Man the Boks certainly found theirs in Wellington! But I think it cannot be far off for ABs - my comment about two coaches was a bit glib. The key point for me is that they need first a coach or coaches that can unlock that power and for me that starts at getting the set piece right and especially the scrum and second a coach that can simplify the game plans. I am fortified in this view by NBs comment that most of the ABs tries come from the scrum or lineout - this is the structured power game we have been seeing all year. But it cannot work while the scrum is backpeddling. That has to be fixed ASAP if Robertson is going to stick to this formula. I also think it is too late in the cycle to reverse course and revert to a game based on speed and continuity. The second is just as important - keep it simple! Complex movements that require 196 cm 144 kg props to run around like 95kg flankers is never going to work over a sustained period. The 2024 Blues showed what a powerful yet simple formula can do. The 2025 Blues, with Beauden at 10 tried to be more expansive / complicated - and struggled for most of the season.

I also think that the split bench needs to reflect the game they “want” to play not follow some rote formula. For example the ABs impact bench has the biggest front row in the World with two props 195cm / 140 kg plus. But that bulk cannot succeed without the right power based second row (7, 4, 5, 6). That bulk becomes a disadvantage if they don’t have a rock solid base behind them - as both Boks showed at Eden Park and the English in London. Fresh powerful legs need to come on with them - thats why we need a 6-2 bench. And teams with this split can have players focused only on 40 minutes max of super high intensity play. Hence Robertson needs to design his team to accord with these basic physics.



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