One change on the wing is a certainty while there is every chance the All Blacks midfield will be reshuffled once again to face Australia in a Tri-Nations rugby test in Wellington next Saturday.
Winger Sitiveni Sivivatu did not travel to the capital with the squad on Sunday after being ruled out for four to six weeks with a groin injury suffered in the 32-29 loss to South Africa in Hamilton on Saturday.
It is unlikely another player will be called into the squad for the tournament’s final test, with existing members Hosea Gear or Cory Jane in line to start on Sivivatu’s left wing.
The exciting counter-attacker is likely to be available for New Zealand’s season-ending tour but any involvement in the domestic Air NZ Cup will be limited at best.
Another player facing the axe is Stephen Donald, who struggled in his first start at halfback for six years, a selection forced by injury to other midfield options.
In a disappointing outing on his home ground, Donald never adjusted to the role, which saw the specialist five-eighth interchanging at No.10 with Daniel Carter.
Carter regularly moved out a spot on defence while Donald filled the first receiver role on occasion.
Donald often found himself simply barrelling the ball straight into Springboks defenders and it wasn’t until he was replaced by centre Isaia Toeava after 50 minutes — with Ma’a Nonu shifting to halfback that the New Zealand backline found fluency.
Backs coach Wayne Smith said Donald was unlucky to be on the field during South Africa’s period of forward dominance but admitted a sharp-looking Toeava had become a “valid option”.
“I think he (Donald) struggled with the speed of the defensive line in a different position. That was a big issue for him, he was surprised at how little time he had,” Smith said.
“In those situations you just tend to tuck it and go.
“I feel a bit sorry for Stephen because there wasn’t a lot of opportunity in that first half. It was a scrambling type of game and wasn’t how we want to play, clearly.”
It was the second time Carter and Donald have failed as a starting pair, with Donald hauled off at a similar time against Australia when he wore No 10 jersey in Hong Kong last year.
Carter was disappointed as the pair’s complex patterns had gelled smoothly at training, following on from their partnership when Donald came off the reserve bench in the defeat of Australia at Sydney three weeks ago.
“In Sydney it worked extremely well. It’s just frustrating because we put in a lot of hard work so for it to not come out on the field is tough.”
A minute after Donald exited, Carter suffered a brain explosion when throwing an intercept pass to Jean de Villiers that pushed the visitors 17 points clear.
Carter said he was looking to give Toeava an early touch.
“We took it to the line but de Villiers has a real knack of snuffing those out,” Carter said.
“It was a big play in the game. He just cut it off, it was good work from him. We were just playing what we saw and I shouldn’t have passed it.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan says it’s “purely coincidental” that Semipeni Finau has put on a massive, late hit on a fourth fly-half in nine…
He was born 1905, 1904 or 1908 according to various reports, in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay, and is remembered as one of the great Māori players.
I don’t really get the comparisons between Joey Manu and Sonny Bill Williams. I realise they have the Roosters in common, along with a…
All Blacks star Jordie Barrett has announced a sabbatical to play with Irish club Leinster at year's end, while committing his future to New…
There are those who will forever play the man - and not the ball - where TJ Perenara is concerned. The All Blacks and…
I well remember the day a New Zealand Rugby staffer put their hands on me. It seems I’d made them angry.The Wellington Sevens was…
