Zac Guildford is poised to make his playing return to the Crusaders after being named on their reserve bench for Saturday’s Super Rugby match against the Southern Kings.
All Blacks winger Guildford is included in a squad which features four changes to that which beat the Bulls 41-19 in Christchurch last weekend.
The 24-year-old withdrew from the Crusaders in January after an alcohol-related incident and only returned to the squad late last week.
Under threat of losing his New Zealand Rugby Union contract, Guildford sought treatment for alcoholism and has vowed to improve his off-field behaviour.
There are two changes to the starting 15, where All Black Luke Romano returns at lock following a rib injury while Willi Heinz is named at halfback. Lock Dominic Bird and halfback Andy Ellis drop to the reserve bench.
Guildford takes Adam Whitelock’s place among the reserves while Codie Taylor comes onto the bench for Ben Funnell, who is serving a one-match ban for a dangerous tackle against the Bulls.
Team: Israel Dagg, Tom Marshall, Robbie Fruean, Ryan Crotty, Johnny McNicholl, Dan Carter, Willi Heinz, Kieran Read, Matt Todd, George Whitelock, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Owen Franks, Corey Flynn, Wyatt Crockett. Res: Codie Taylor, Joe Moody, Dominic Bird, Luke Whitelock, Andy Ellis, Tyler Bleyendaal, Zac Guildford.
mania
Guest
agree rae1 and nicely said. i doubt zacs dealt properly with that loss, but i am guessing as i dont personally know the guy. but agree kia kaha, tu malosi
rae1
Guest
I hope Zac does well,I just have a nagging feeling the temptation will be too much, I sincerely hope I am wrong.This is a boy that lost his dad in the stand during a junior WC final,so there are a lot of demons to conquer. Kia Kaha Zac! all the best.
mania
Guest
yeah johnno, i am in nz. yes nz has a bad drinking culture as a whole. ironically this comes from someone who doesnt drink... but i suppose that gives me a better perspective. but last chance saloon? i'm not sure. i dont think a threat of ripping up his contract is going to be positive reinforcement. zac has a problem but it needs to be dealt with in the same way you would deal with a family member with a drinking problem. giving them ultimatums and then expecting them to come right is lazy and addiction is never that easy. zac needs support from his loved ones and professional addiction/alcohol experts . the public throwing in their 2 cents worth and belittling zac arent helping the situation.
Johnno
Guest
mania he has been dealt with , and i agree. But he is on last chance saloon now. Does NZ have a drinking culture over there , you are in NZ am I right.
mania
Guest
he's just dumb kid not a serial killer. everyone makes mistakes.
Patches
Guest
Zac Guildford has done his time and will come back a better person and player thank you crusaders and All involved for supporting him. He will make a good All Black and hopefully will be an example for other players. Good luck Zac and we will enjoy watching you
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
This is "last chance Charley" for Guildford he is a very good player when at his best. He is not the fastest man around but has the knack of bobbing up in the right place to get that last pass etc. The Saders need him and I hope that he stays off the Turps. Reading what he has done he seems like a real drop kick when on the fire water. It will be extremely hard for him to aim up especially being a young bloke in a team when you win and everyone else is have a beer or three to celebrate the win. He has shown that he is an alcoholic by his past performances so he needs to run dry for the rest of his life, and that hard for a young bloke to get his head around. I hope he succeeds.
mania
Guest
go on , u know u want to
Justin2
Guest
There's a line here but I'll leave it alone...
mania
Guest
saders need guildford. will give them a bit of extra strike power