Barrett ‘unlikely’ for ABs
Beauden Barrett has been released from the All Blacks’ camp to recover from concussion symptoms.
The star first five-eighth did not travel with the team to Dunedin yesterday and seems unlikely to play against France at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.
Barrett failed a Head Injury Assessment during the first half of the All Blacks’ 26-13 win over France at Westpac Stadium, after a mid-air collision with Benjamin Fall. The France fullback received a red card for the 12th-minute incident.
Beyond Barrett, loose forward Vaea Fifita, who received a head knock, has also been withdrawn from the squad. Fellow loosie Liam Squire has a left ACjoint problem and is doubtful for Saturday, while reserve hooker Nathan Harris has gone on paternal leave. The Highlanders’ Jackson Hemopo and Ricky Riccitelli of the Hurricanes are their respective replacements.
‘‘Beauden has still got concussion symptoms,’’ Hansen said.
‘‘There’s no point putting him under extra pressure of the travel, when he can stay at home and rest and come down tomorrow or not come down at all.
‘‘It’s a long season and you’ve got to weigh up the risks and rewards and it’s unlikely we’ll use him if he’s not right, even if he’s 100 per cent and there’s still some grey area there.’’
Squire was described as ‘‘touch and go’’ for Saturday, while Fifita was ‘‘not feeling well this morning,’’ said Hansen.
With fellow Highlanders Tom Franklin and Shannon Frizell also floating around in the lockloose forward space, the All Blacks probably won’t need Hemopo to play in Dunedin. But they are likely to rely on Damian McKenzie to do a job for them at first five-eighth.
He had a mixed time in Barrett’s place in Wellington, although it has to be said that not many of the team covered themselves in glory. ‘‘I’d like to see a platform that he could work off,’’ Hansen said.
‘‘It would be very easy to blame Damian for what was a poor performance from the whole team and that’s not the case. What we’ve got to do is work out how did we go as coaches during the week? What did we miss? Did we get the selections right?’’
Hansen knows the answer to the last of those. It’s no.
He asked too much of forwards such as props Joe Moody and Owen Franks, flanker Sam Cane and probably even captain Sam Whitelock; none of whom had ideal preparations for this series.
‘‘To use a race horse analogy: [if you give them a] hard run the first time and then bring them back to race too early second up, they usually go no good,’’ said Hansen.
So where does that leave Hansen for the third race?
‘‘With not too many options, if they’re props. But other options. Like Sam Cane’s an example, so we’ve got options there.’’ French centre Geoffrey Doumayrou has hit out at the match officials’ decision to issue a red card to the team-mate Benjamin Fall in Saturday night’s defeat to the All Blacks.
The La Rochelle midfielder lamented the decision to dismiss the French fullback in the 12th minute of the Wellington test, which the All Blacks won, 26-13, to clinch the three-match series.
He told the AFP news agency, in a report published by French newspaper L’Equipe, that France