Welcome news at last for Milner-skudder
Nehe Milner-skudder has flown to Perth to join the Hurricanes.
The fullback or wing hasn’t played since March 10, when he suffered three fractures to the toes in his right foot after falling awkwardly in a tackle during the team’s 26-18 loss to the Chiefs.
The initial prognosis was four weeks in a moon boot and then two more to get back into matchplaying shape. But the metatarsal bones didn’t knit as well as hoped and Milner-skudder has only just returned to full fitness. That was confirmed on Monday, when he was put through his paces one last time.
Having come through that, the 26-year-old is now expected to be in the Hurricanes’ 23 to meet the Force at Perth’s nib Stadium late on Saturday night (NZ time).
Should Milner-skudder get on the paddock, it will be just his third appearance of the season.
After missing almost all of the team’s run to the 2016 Super Rugby title with a serious shoulder injury, he tweaked a hamstring during February’s pre-season clash with the Crusaders in Waverley. Put through a hole, Milnerskudder suffered a wee twinge in the act of a scoring a try and had to sit out the team’s opening match of the season against the Sunwolves in Tokyo.
Not to worry. Picked to start when the Hurricanes hosted the Rebels the following week, he responded with a hat-trick in the team’s 71-6 win.
A week later he was left crumpled on the FMG Stadium turf in Hamilton, after getting his foot caught under a Chiefs’ tackler.
Now there’s a chance he could replace Wes Goosen on the right wing, against the Force.
Goosen suffered what Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd called a shoulder or rib injury while jamming in on defence during the first half of the team’s 34-20 win over the Bulls in Pretoria. Ben Lam and Cory Jane are the other members of the squad who would be considered for the right wing spot if Goosen was unable to play.
Fullback is arguably Milnerskudder’s best spot but Jordie Barrett has gone so well there in his absence - as well as kicking plenty of goals - he might be retained in that position.
Goosen isn’t the only Hurricanes player who might be unavailable to meet the Force. Flanker Ardie Savea and lock Mark Abbott both left the field with head knocks and you would assume that would rule them out for this week.
Then there’s the situation of first five-eighth Beauden Barrett. He was withdrawn from the side to play the Bulls due to headaches, which Boyd said may - or may not have been related to a blow he took in the previous week’s clash with the Cheetahs.
Barrett had been able to train without suffering headaches since the Cheetahs match, Boyd said. But the issue was he was experiencing headaches after waking up in the morning.