Injury won’t hamstring ABs
There’s talk that the All Blacks have a hooker ‘‘crisis’’ heading into Bledisloe II in Wellington this Saturday. But that’s not a word that should be associated with Steve Hansen’s side.
The All Blacks have a hooker ‘‘challenge’’, nothing more; the Wallabies have the ‘‘crisis’’ to confront. After Sydney, the credibility of Michael Cheika’s team hangs by a thread. They are on the verge, if they haven’t already, of becoming a laughing stock in their own country.
The All Blacks’ situation at hooker, where injuries to Nathan Harris and Codie Taylor will force Hansen to plunge into his depth chart for Wellington, and possibly beyond, is a speed bump. Nothing more.
Exacerbating the situation is the uncertain status of the best hooker in the game, Dane Coles, who continues to soldier through a painful rib cartilage situation to do hard yards for the All Blacks, just as he did for the Hurricanes
It’s a situation that will cause Hansen about five minutes of angst, if that.
I have no worries about hooker on Saturday night. Coles will front, if needed, and get through what he has to. Whomever backs him up will just add to the depth this world champion team is building.
The All Blacks have simi- lar issues in midfield, where Sonny Bill Williams’ injury has put a spanner in the works. But it didn’t hold them back in Sydney. The faces change (Rieko Ioane the latest to be introduced), but the levels of this gold-standard team stay sky-high.
Of all the injuries picked up in Sydney the hamstring tear suffered by Waisake Naholo is the most distressing because the bloke is just snake-bit when it comes to the black jersey.
Just when he looked to be fit and firing, the curse has struck again.
About the only concern facing New Zealand rugby right now is coming up with an acceptable response to why it took five days to red-flag the supposed bug in their meeting room in Sydney.
In an age where integrity is a massive issue for all sports, to fail to report something of this magnitude for so long defies belief.
And the Wallabies? Wellington is now about their response amid their own injury issues. Another hiding and things could get ugly for a team that’s been swept by England on home turf, and then suffered a record defeat against the All Blacks.
It could be a tricky test for the All Blacks in that respect. The Wallabies have the motivation, the pride to salvage, the points to prove.
The All Blacks just have an incredible home winning streak (41) going, and a Bledisloe Cup they can put to bed for another season. That, and the unerring high standards they maintain whenever they take the field.
It should be more than enough against a Wallabies outfit who right now define the word ‘‘crisis’’.