Savea called into ABs training camp
Julian Savea returns to the All Blacks’ fold today.
Unwanted since last year’s British and Irish Lions tour, the wing is one of 11 Hurricanes who’ll attend the All Blacks’ North Island foundation day in Auckland.
The 27-year-old earned just two of his 54 test caps in 2017, instead playing for Wellington in the national provincial competition and turning out for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in November. He’s been subbed in two of his three appearances for the Hurricanes this Super Rugby season and hasn’t done a great deal of note.
But the national selectors are clearly keen to have a look at Savea, despite the likelihoodthat he will come under increasing pressure to hold a spot in the Hurricanes’ starting XV.
Savea hasn’t managed that in the past two seasons and, while he’s getting picked right now, Wes Goosen and Nehe Milner-Skudder are still to come back from injury.
Then there’s Ben Lam, who left the Crusaders’ defence for dead en route to a memorable long-range try in the Hurricanes’ 29-19 win over the Crusaders.
Not a huge amount looked on when first five-eighth Beauden Barrett took off down the left-hand side. That’s until Lam got the ball about halfway and wound his big frame up.
‘‘I sort of knew I had to go straight away, because it takes me a while to get to that pace. But I knew if I went they probably wouldn’t expect it, and I caught them off guard a bit I think,’’ Lam said yesterday.
Lam came to the Hurricanes in
2017, still trying to shake off the effects of an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. He pushed as hard as he could, but experienced regular pain and swelling in the knee and was never able to hit top gear.
This season he’s fit as a fiddle, for the first time in a long time, and the proof was plain to see against the Crusaders.
‘‘To be honest, it was a bit of a blur. But it did feel good to be running fast again,’’ said Lam of the try.
Milner-Skudder is due back from his shoulder injury in May, while Goosen isn’t far away after tweaking right-ankle ligaments in the round-one loss to the Bulls. Lam and Savea will presumably be the starting wings, then, when the Hurricanes host the Highlanders at Westpac Stadium on Saturday.
The major inclusion in the home side’s 23 should be prop Jeff To’omaga-Allen, who had his first run of the season in the Hurricanes’ development team’s
40-19 win over the Blues last Saturday. The tighthead prop got through 30 minutes of action and now joins Savea among the 11 Hurricanes off to the All Blacks’ camp. The others are Jordie Barrett, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara, Ngani Laumape, Vaea Fifita, Asafo Aumua, Ardie Savea, Milner-Skudder and Dane Coles.
Coles is still battling back from his own knee ligament rupture, suffered against France in November, but remains an integral member of the All Blacks’ leadership.
He’ll hopefully be back playing by late June.