Double jab for crippled Canterbury lock Dominic Bird
"This time, we're going to jab it at halftime as well and rip into it in the second half." Canterbury lock Dominic Bird
One jab wasn’t enough to get Canterbury lock Dominic Bird through the semifinal last weekend, but he’s certain a double dose of pain killers will keep him in the thick of the action tonight.
Bird, who missed much of his first Super Rugby season with the Chiefs this year after he fractured his foot in pre-season, ‘‘slightly’’ re-fractured it playing for Canterbury earlier this month.
But the 2.06m lock isn’t letting it keep him out of the Mitre 10 Cup premiership final against Tasman in Christchurch. He’d rather ‘‘wreck himself for 80 minutes’’ and help Canterbury win an eighth title in nine years - five of them while he’s been in the team.
Doctors have inserted a screw into his foot to ensure it doesn’t deteriorate before he has postseason surgery.
He’s expected to have enough time to be fully fit for next season’s Super competition.
Bird only got through the first half of last weekend’s semifinal against Counties Manukau before the pain stifled him, but he’s adamant there won’t be a repeat.
‘‘It’s pretty sore when I don’t have local anesthetic in it,’’ Bird said. ’’This time, we’re going to jab it at halftime as well and rip into it in the second half.’’
With fellow Canterbury lock Scott Barrett unavailable for the final after being named as injury cover for the All Blacks’ end-ofyear tour, Bird’s availability is timely.
He will start alongside big Aussie Dave McDuling - otherwise known as ‘‘Dingo Dave’’ - with flanker Reed Prinsep providing cover, should one of them go down.
Barrett, who has apparently leapfrogged Bird in the locking pecking order, could make his All Black debut against either Ireland, Italy or France next month.
Bird played the last of his two tests for the national side against Scotland in Edinburgh two years ago, and made no secret of the fact he wants to wear the black jersey again.
‘‘Next year, I want to be focussing on a big season for the Chiefs and I really want to perform during that,’’ he said. ’’If I’m playing well, without a doubt it will be an option. But I’ve just got to perform.’’
Bird said he ‘‘occasionally’’ heard from All Blacks management regarding what he needed to do, but said it was self-explanatory.
‘‘Most of it you just read between the lines. You can pick it up yourself. We all know the game and we all understand who is getting selected . . . you get feedback here and there, but you can work it out yourself,’’ he said.
Bird’s expecting a ‘‘niggly’’ Tasman to front up at AMI Stadium tonight, but said his team was more than up for it.
‘‘There is plenty of hype, we’re getting videos from [former captain] Nasi Manu pumping us up. It gets me pretty revved up, it’s quite cool.’’