Mo’unga fit for Rebels game
Richie Mo’unga has four plates and four screws inserted in his jaw as a souvenir of the moment he busted it on March 3.
The Crusaders first fiveeighth, who will finally make his comeback against the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday night, is relieved to have recovered from the nasty injury that came as a consequence of giant Stormers prop Steve Kitshoff bulldozing into him in the third round of Super Rugby.
As soon as Mo’unga slumped to the ground after colliding with Kitshoff in the final moments of the match in Christchurch, he began to check the AMI Stadium grass for his ivories.
‘‘After it happened, I sort of found myself looking for my teeth. That was sort of the impact I went through,’’ Mo’unga said. ‘‘I kind of knew straight away that something wasn’t right, and when your jaw is in a funny position you know it’s not good.
‘‘I still had a little hope it wasn’t too bad, but I saw the look on doc’s face [team doctor Martin Swan] when he was seeing what was happening.’’
With Swan’s body language giving the game away, Mo’unga knew it was serious and was immediately taken to hospital to have an operation for two plates to be inserted to each side of his jaw.
An inability to eat solid foods meant he lost 5kg, dropping to 83kg in the first week after surgery. He has since stacked back on the weight and has been involved in contact training.
The return of Mo’unga, who made his All Blacks debut as a substitute against a French XV in Lyon last November, will be welcomed by the national selectors. With Lima Sopoaga joining English club Wasps after the Highlanders season and only likely to be called in an emergency, Mo’unga will be aiming to prove he can be considered alongside Damian McKenzie as the back-up to incumbent first-five Beauden Barrett.
Mo’unga is one of seven changes made to the Crusaders team that started against the Brumbies. His arrival coincides with the return of another international, Jack Goodhue, at centre. Goodhue has recovered from the hamstring problem he suffered in his most recent outing for the Crusaders, against the Lions in Johannesburg on April 8.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has had to shuffle his wings because wing Israel Dagg, who also injured a knee after copping a high tackle by Chance Peni last weekend, had returned to Christchurch to be with his wife, Daisy, who was expecting their second baby.
George Bridge has been named on the left wing, and Seta Tamanivalu has shifted to the right flank. Manasa Mataele, who was impressive when he replaced Dagg in Canberra and scored two tries, has again been listed on the bench.