Todd busts thumb in blow for Crusaders
A broken thumb could force Matt Todd to miss up to six weeks of Super Rugby duties for the Crusaders.
All Blacks openside flanker Todd suffered the injury during his side’s 45-23 win over the Chiefs in Christchurch last Saturday night, and will now join fellow internationals Kieran Read, Israel Dagg, Owen Franks, Joe Moody and Tim Perry in the Crusaders’ casualty ward.
While Todd’s absence is a blow to the Crusaders, it’s not expected to have an impact on his availability for the All Blacks who will meet France in a three-test series in June.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson was waiting for more information from medical staff before deciding whether to block Todd off his roster for the full six-week window ahead.
‘‘Matt has just had a little break in his thumb, so we will reassess next Monday,’’ Robertson said.
‘‘It is not as bad as a six-weeker – we are hoping. So will know more next Monday.’’
What is certain is that Todd will be unavailable to play the Stormers in Christchurch on Saturday night. Last weekend Billy Harmon was Todd’s deputy. Peter Samu and Heiden BedwellCurtis can also play at openside.
Robertson was unable to state whether Todd would require an operation, and said the No 7 didn’t know how he hurt himself.
‘‘We don’t know, he just came off and said his thumb was sore afterwards. Doc [Dr Martin Swan] checked it out, said we better X-ray it and it turned out he had a broken thumb.
‘‘It is a bit of a shame because he was in great form. It was just one of those things in rugby. These things are normally a six-weeker, but we are hoping that it is shorter than that.’’
Last year All Blacks captain and Crusaders No 8 Kieran Read had a screw implanted in his thumb after breaking it against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein and was unavailable for around six weeks. He returned to lead the All Blacks in the series against and British and Irish Lions.
Todd, with 13 test caps to his name, will be eager to return to work, given the successes he experienced in 2017. He proved himself worthy of being the backup No 7 to All Blacks incumbent Sam Cane, leapfrogging over Ardie Savea in the selection order and also played in the Super Rugby final win over the Lions in Johannesburg.
The Crusaders now have five All Blacks forwards unavailable because of injury.
Fullback Dagg and props Franks and Moody, who suffered injuries last year and missed the All Blacks end of season tour, are expected to be fit to play for the Crusaders around mid-April. Prop Tim Perry is expected to be available within weeks.
Meanwhile no matter what the pre-match meal is, an injury-laden Chiefs side will roll up to Eden Park tonight with the taste of sweet and sour in the mouths, considering the recent history against their local foe.
It’s the derby of the truest sense, this one between the Chiefs and those Blues neighbours from just up the motorway, and there have been plenty of epic contests to match.
But after the Auckland franchise held sway in the first four meetings during their glory days, it has since been a rivalry which has swung way back in the Chiefs’ favour.
So much so that they are now undefeated in their last 12 games against the Blues, with tonight a potential lucky 13th, which would be a new record streak in Super Rugby between any two sides.
However, any psychological power the Chiefs hold was dented somewhat last year, in a drawn match that still sticks in the craw for co-captain Sam Cane, even nine months on.
‘‘We’re under no illusions how tough it’s going to be playing up there, you only have to look back the last time we played them and we only scratched a draw,’’ he said of the disappointment of the 16-16 result in the rain at Eden Park in round 14 last year, adding a simple telling ‘‘yep’’ when asked if it was one which stuck in the memory.
This time round the dynamics are a little bit different, with a Blues side which is destined for improvement in 2018, carrying favouritism against the new-look Chiefs, who have been struck badly by injuries.
It might only be the teams’ second outings of the season, but expect the intensity to be ratcheted up as both are coming off losses first-up and a scenario where you are 0-2 after two New Zealand derbies in a hotly contested Kiwi conference will be far from ideal, with the Chiefs then into a bye and the Blues onto South Africa.
‘‘It’s a big game, that’s for sure,’’ Cane said, having seen plenty of danger signs from the Blues in their 41-34 season-opening defeat to the Highlanders in Dunedin last week.
‘‘It was a great game to watch. We got a good look at them a couple of weeks ago pre-season when they taught us a couple of lessons at that early stage [in a 45-19 loss in Te Kuiti]. They’re looking really good.’’
While the Blues – who have only won one of their last 23 matches against Kiwi sides – are without star second five-eighth Sonny Bill Williams because of knee and head knocks from Dunedin, their pack is bolstered by the return of Jerome Kaino and Jimmy Tupou.