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The All Blacks have been forced into a series of changes for the start of their northern tour with the Barrett brothers sidelined and a backup scrum half suffering an ACL injury.
In all, six players will either miss out altogether or be delayed, including the Barrett brothers, Beauden, Scott, and Jordie, whose grandmother died this week.
They will join the squad later in the week but are unlikely to feature against Japan. Injuries to Sam Whitelock, Will Jordan, and Folau Fakatava mean they will also not travel.
Fakatava has been hit hardest – suffering an ACL injury on Thursday. Whitelock and Jordan have not been ruled out of the entire tour just yet.
Coach Ian Foster has called up four players from the All Blacks XV team – Brad Weber, Damien McKenzie, Patrick Tuipolutu, and Asafo Aumua.
“Sad news for the Barrett family with their grandmother passing away, so those three will obviously go down [to the South Island] with their family and rejoin us mid-to-late next week,” coach Ian Foster told media on Saturday.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
“Yesterday we found out about Folau with his knee, he was doing his own training on Thursday afternoon and it looks like he’s re-ruptured the graft of his ACL, which is really disappointing news.
“We’ll see whether it’s operable or whether it’s a natural sort of fix. We’re not too sure but those options will be assessed the next few weeks.
“It’s devastating – he’s worked hard and you know he was excited about the tour and clearly, particularly this next game, was a big opportunity for him.”
Foster said Dane Coles was also struggling with an injury which is why Aumua has been promoted. Tuipolutu and McKenzie will cover for Whitelock and Jordan. Weber will be with the team for the start of the tour but may be replaced by TJ Perenara, who has commitments in the NPC.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a setback, but its just a readjustment, let’s call it that,” said Foster.
“We want to get stuck into this northern tour. It’s important we finish that in a position with a really clear picture of what we’re going to do because next year is pretty thin with five tests before the World Cup.
“We’re concerned about showing improvement and our trajectory is upwards, because where we want to be in 12 months is not two, three, four or five it’s to be one. That’s pretty important to us.”
Former Wallabies captain George Gregan has praised Michael Hooper’s decision to step away from the team over mindset issues.
Hooper will return to the Wallabies set up on the northern tour starting next weekend, but not as captain.
“That just epitomises Michael Hooper,” Gregan told reporters.
“The fact he put his hand up and said he wasn’t right, that was really, really important. It was courageous. It sends a very good message.
“He’s in a position where if he’s not 110 per cent, he’s going to put his hand up. He empties the tank every time he plays. That’s the way he prepares too. He’s an incredible leader.”
Gregan backed the decision to keep James Slipper as captain.
James Slipper joins The Roar Rugby podcast to talk about his captaincy
“I think it’s a nice way for [Hooper] to just get back in,” Gregan said. “He can get back to doing what he does and find his Test match rhythm, which I think he’ll pick up pretty quickly.
“He’s always going to lead. ‘Slips’ has done a very good job and he has good experience. I’ve always said you need five to six leaders in your team.
“Captains have to front up and do a lot of the media work and be there for the coin toss. I’m not saying it’s that simple being a captain, but when you’ve got wonderful leadership spread across your team, it certainly takes that burden away and I think that’s the case here.
“Whoever is going to be captaining that Wallaby team has a really good group of players who are starting to get a lot of Test matches under the belt.”
Nic White has given a passionate defence of his coach Dave Rennie and said Wallabies supporters should take their frustrations out on the players.
White told Sydney radio that Rennie was doing “a phenomenal job, unbelievable.”
“I’ve said this for a while now, we’ve had a really young squad for the last couple of years and I’ve kind of felt that the coaches have been operating I guess above the level of where we players have been playing catch-up. We’re still playing catch-up,” White said.
“He drives high standards and as a group we haven’t met them. This year has been pretty challenging, an unforeseen number of injuries which is hard to deal with.
“You want consistency in your 23 and we just haven’t had that this year, just purely due to so many injuries. For me, yeah, I’ve been around a few clubs and a fair few Wallaby coaches and mate, he’s right up there as one of the best I’ve had.”
Head Coach Dave Rennie, Michael Hooper and James Slipper . (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
White also endorsed Rennie’s assistants Scott Wisemantel, Dan McKellar and Laurie Fisher.
“I think they’re doing a great job and we need to get some results,” White said.
“So that’s what this tour is about for us as a group, get back to the process and make sure we do a bloke like Rens proud and get the results he deserves because we haven’t given it to him for a while now. There might be external pressure but we think he’s great.
“I personally think he’s unbelievable and it’s time for us to step up.”
Manu Samoa coach Seilala Mapusua has expressed his frustration at the selection of Moana Pasifika centre Levi Aumua in the All Blacks setup.
Aumua was selected to the All Blacks XV squad after two attempts by Mapusua to have him commit to Samoa.
Mapusua told Stuff that it shows New Zealand Rugby will continue to raid Pacific Island player stocks.
“Absolutely it’s frustrating,” Mapusua said.
“Especially as he was selected and played for Moana Pasifika. The establishment of this team was to benefit Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.
“We looked at Moana Pasifika as our team. It is frustrating seeing guys like Levi being picked up by the All Blacks. Obviously it sends a message to all the other midfielders in the five [New Zealand] franchises. Frustrating is a nice way to put it.”
It has been a tough 24 hours for England coach Eddie Jones with Jonny May and Henry Arundell injured in the Premiership overnight.
May suffered a suspected dislocated elbow in Gloucester’s 22-21 victory over London Irish while Arundell hobbled off with his right foot strapped.
On Monday when naming his squad for the autumn Jones hailed May’s “return to form” having battled back from a knee injury and the dose of Covid that prevented him from playing against Australia in July.
England’s second highest men’s try-scorer of all time was poised to return to the wing for the Tests against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa but another significant spell in the treatment rooms now appears likely.
Skipper Courtney Lawes has meanwhile been ruled out of England’s pre-autumn training camp in Jersey next week, increasing the prospect of Owen Farrell regaining the Test captaincy for the first time in a year.
Lawes suffered a concussion a month ago and is still suffering the after effects.
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.