‘Cynical’ Read misses training
All Blacks skipper Kieran Read is in the wars again, tabbed for ‘‘cynical’’ play by the Scots post-Murrayfield and once again battling to be fit for the third and final test of the tour with a nagging hip flexor problem.
Second thing first, Read did not take part in All Blacks training in Cardiff on Tuesday (Wednesday NZ Time), though has not been ruled out of the sellout test against Wales at Principality Stadium on Saturday (Sunday NZT) that will bring the curtain down on the team’s year.
But the New Zealanders have, for the second week in a row, delayed the naming of their test team until after their Thursday afternoon (Friday NZT) training session. A spokesman indicated this was to assess selections, as well as Read’s status as he continues to struggle with wear and tear, and especially that hip flexor issue.
The All Blacks usually announce their team early on Thursday, prior to their last fully fledged training hitout of the week, but also delayed the naming in Edinburgh last week.
‘‘He’s a bit battered after the last couple [of tests], so we took him out of training today to give him a chance to have an extra 24 hours. He’ll recover quick,’’ assistant coach Ian Foster said after an energetic and sharp session. There was a noticeable pep about proceedings, after attitude was identified as a shortcoming in Scotland.
‘‘He gets through a lot of work and at this stage of the year he’s just a bit sore. It’s really a management decision to pull him out today, and give him a chance to walk around and watch training, and hopefully freshen up for later in the week.
‘‘With his experience he’ll be firing later on.’’
Normally the All Blacks don’t pick a player who can’t train on Tuesday (ie Liam Squire before the French test), but in the case of their 109-test captain they’re clearly prepared to make an exception. He has more than earned that right.
If Read, who was moving gingerly to say the least, was not able to play Saturday, it’s likely they would go with hardened Canterbury and Highlanders loose forward Luke Whitelock to fill in at No 8.
There are already two more guaranteed changes in the wake of the 22-17 victory over Scotland, with star wing Rieko Ioane (shoulder) and lock Luke Romano (plantar fascia) both ruled out. They will likely be replaced by Seta Tamanivalu and Patrick Tuipulotu, respectively.
That brings to 11 the frontline players out injured, with seven positions now shorn their firstchoice starter.
Meanwhile, Read has copped a blast from Scotland assistant coach Dan McFarland for a ‘‘cynical’’ play late in the Murrayfield test that, frankly, does not stand up well to video replay scrutiny.
In the 72nd minute of the match, with the All Blacks (leading 22-10) already down to 14 men after a yellow card for replacement prop Wyatt Crockett, Read appears to deliberately slap the ball out of the grasp of Scotland lock Jonny Gray from an illegal position on the ground.
Scotland replacement prop Jamie Bhatti subsequently crosses the line after snaffling the loose ball, but play is pulled back for a knock-on, and Scotland awarded a penalty under advantage.
However, if Read’s play had been spotted - it was missed by all and sundry - it would almost certainly have reduced the All Blacks to 13 men for the final eight minutes.
Scotland did notch a sevenpointer in the 77th minute to get to within striking distance, but could not seal the deal in the final seconds when fullback Stuart Hogg made a scintillating break down the left touchline.
‘‘That was just cynical wasn’t it,’’ McFarland told media in Edinburgh in assessing Read’s play. ‘‘It should have been a yellow card, quite possibly a try, and quite possibly a penalty try.
‘‘I can see that [all those options] would be something for discussion, but that’s not up for discussion now is it? New Zealand are an extremely competitive side and everybody in world rugby knows that when you get the ball into their 22, the very last thing they want to do is concede a try. That’s how they play. They’re very streetwise, they’re very clever.’’
But Foster did not agree his captain trod a fine line between fair and foul: ‘‘His record tells you that he doesn’t, If the comment is about highlighting a spell where we got put under a lot of pressure and got penalised a lot, then we’ve got to learn from that.
‘‘But extrapolate that few minutes out to say it’s cynical, I wouldn’t agree with that.’’
The All Blacks will name their test team to play Wales at 5pm on Thursday (6am Friday NZT).