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Time ticks for Anton Lienert-Brown as All Black misses final round of NPC
Despite aiming for a return to action in the final round of the NPC regular season, Anton Lienert-Brown has been omitted from the Waikato side named to tackle Bay of Plenty in Hamilton on Sunday.
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Lienert-Brown has been sidelined since undergoing surgery in April after suffering a shoulder injury against the Blues during Super Rugby Pacific. Early last month, the 27-year-old indicated that a return to action against the Steamers was a possibility, but Lienert-Brown is evidently not quite ready to make a return to action.
Instead, the 56-Test All Black is hopeful that he’ll make his first appearance in next weekend’s quarter-final match-up, which could see Waikato taking on any one of Wellington, Bay of Plenty or Hawke’s Bay.
Speaking on New Zealand radio station Newstalk ZB, Lienert-Brown said that while his shoulder was now ready for the physical battering it’s sure to endure when he once again takes the field, there are still some targets he needs to meet before getting back into the game.
“I’m human and I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t reluctancy going into contact,” he said.
“It’s really the thoughts beforehand. Once you’re out on the field it’s sweet as. I’m really confident that I’ve done enough contact now.
“It’s a funny one; for three or four months of the rehab period, you protect the shoulder, then the last couple of months you’re doing the opposite so it does take a while for the mind to adjust. I’ve got enough training under my belt now, and enough contact to be confident I’ll be sweet out there.
“There’s a few things I’ve got to tick off first, but I’m hoping to be playing for Waikato next week, all going well.”
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The All Blacks are set to depart for Japan and the UK at the end of the month and head coach Ian Foster will favour taking Lienert-Brown north, but might have reservations if his most experienced midfield option hasn’t managed to get many – or any – games under his belt.
Although Lienert-Brown suggested the end-of-year tour isn’t a primary goal at present, he has previously suggested he could play in the Heartland Cup – NZ’s second division of provincial rugby – in order to get some additional minutes before the squad travels.
While Lienert-Brown has been sidelined, he has been working with the Waikato coaches as the key strategist of backline strike moves.
Waikato will need all their wily plays to function if they are to tip over Bay of Plenty on Sunday. The winner of the match will sew up second spot on the table in the Odds conference, but could take out first if Counties Manukau are able to upset Wellington.
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Waikato: Tepaea Cook-Saveage, Mosese Dawai, Bailyn Sullivan, D’Angelo Leuila, Daniel Sinkinson, Damian McKenzie, Xavier Roe, Luke Jacobson, Mitch Jacobson, Samipeni Finau, Laghlan McWhannell, Hamilton Burr, Sefo Kautai, Rhys Marshall, Ollie Norris. Reserves: Pita Anae Ah-Sue, Rob Cobb, George Dyer, Patrick McCurran, Jack Lam, Cortez Ratima, Tana Tuhakaraina, Liam Coombes-Fabling.
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments