Cavalry returns as All Blacks count cost of injuries
The All Blacks are saying hello to a few blokes this week and goodbye to others.
Not for an eternity, but it will be a few weeks before Brodie Retallick and Ngani Laumape are fit to play again, following the injuries they suffered in Saturday’s 46-24 win over Argentina in Nelson.
That disappointment is made up for by the likely return of three senior pros to the fray – and perhaps a fourth as well – for this week’s clash with South Africa in Wellington. Ryan Crotty and Sam Cane sat out the Pumas match as an extra precaution, after suffering head knocks against Australia, but both are good to go, along with Rieko Ioane and maybe Sonny Bill Williams too.
‘‘Yep, yep. They could’ve played this week but we just chose to give them another week,’’ All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said yesterday of Crotty and Cane. ‘‘Sonny, he’ll get an X-ray [on his injured shoulder] again on Monday and if everything’s clear there, he’ll be available as well. Rieko [hamstring] will be available so whilst we’re losing a couple, we’re getting a couple back on deck as well.’’
The news on Retallick and Laumape isn’t definitive, but it’s more detailed than in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s game. Lock Retallick injured cartilage in the rotator cuff of his right shoulder after being tackled, while second fiveeighth Laumape hurt his knee.
‘‘We know that Guzzler [Retallick] won’t be available next week, so we’re going to bring Patrick Tuipulotu in. It was either him or Luke Romano and Luke’s got a calf strain, so we didn’t consider him,’’ said Hansen.
‘‘Brodie will get scanned on Monday and then we’ll have a better idea how long he’ll be, but it could be a maximum six weeks. Minimum maybe three, so he’ll be out for a wee while.
‘‘Ngani’s got grade-one ligament damage so he’ll be two to three weeks.’’
With fellow midfield backs Crotty and Williams back in the