Locking crisis hits the Highlanders
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph is grappling with a locking crisis as his team look to put a forgettable and costly night in Napier behind them.
Young second-rower Tom Franklin’s season appears to be over after he tore a bicep during Friday’s 56-20 loss to the Hurricanes at McLean Park and his second row partner Alex Ainley’s immediate playing future is also in doubt after he injured a knee.
It’s left Joseph praying for some favourable medical reports ahead of Friday’s final match of the regular season against the Blues at Eden Park.
‘‘It looks like we’ve lost Tom Franklin for the season, he’s ruptured his bicep and Ainley’s twisted his knee, it looks like an MCL,’’ Joseph said. ‘‘We’ve already lost three locks with Joe Wheeler [knee] probably for the season. He’s jogging around now, but he certainly won’t be ready next week. Mark Reddish is out with a broken hand . . . so that’s three of four, then Ainley who has been a real find for us.’’
Ainley played out the 80 minutes against the Hurricanes but was limping badly after the match.
‘‘We just hope he doesn’t wake up in the morning too sore,’’ Joseph said. ‘‘Reddish we thought it was a scaphoid, he’s got a crack in his hand. He’s still in a cast, but hopefully we can accelerate that cast removal.
‘‘That’s not good going into the final stage of the competition. Fortunately Joe Latta came on and had a big game . . . what does that all mean? We have to dump this game really, look forward to the Blues and hopefully secure quarterfinal.’’
Joseph said the team had endured a disrupted buildup in Napier with news of Jerry Collins’ passing just as they got on the team bus, capping off a grim trip.
‘‘Going into the game anything that could happen happened,’’ Joseph said after his team conceded eight tries. ‘‘We lost tighthead prop Josh Hohneck on the day and had to fly Pingi [Talaapitaga] to the game.’’
The Highlanders aren’t the first side to be hit with an injury crisis among their locks with the Chiefs recently calling up retired veteran Ross Filipo after injury sidelined Brodie Retallick, Matt Symons, Michael Fitzgerald, Michael Allardice and Johan Bardoul.
Joseph said there was little point in dwelling on the
a
home Hurricanes match but said a far better defensive effort would be needed in coming weeks.
‘‘Defensively in the first 20-30 minutes I was pretty disappointed with the effort because that’s been a big improvement in our game [this year],’’ he said. ‘‘We allowed them too much width and then we lost Gareth [Evans to the sinbin] they scored two tries. Lima had an off day with his kicks . . . at the end of the day when you play quality teams like the Hurricanes you have to stay close.’’
The Highlanders’ failure to get a bonus point from the match means they are tied on 48 points with New Zealand rivals the Chiefs, but currently one place behind them in fifth place on points differential.
The fourth placed team will gain a home quarterfinal. Ties on the competition ladder are separated by most wins in the first instance, followed by the highest aggregate points difference from all matches and then the most tries. Joseph said they were motivated to bring a Super Rugby playoff match to Dunedin for the first time since the Highlanders reached the final in 1999.