McNichol’s comeback put on hold as NZR takes cautious approach to concussion
Hawke’s Bay coach Mark Ozich says Sam McNicol’s prolonged absence from rugby due to concussion will at least extend to almost two years because New Zealand Rugby are cautiously ‘‘holding him back’’.
The Chiefs utility back was not included in Hawke’s Bay’s 2018 squad announced on Wednesday after fronting for the Magpies at Tuesday’s Mitre 10 Cup launch in Auckland.
McNicol, who is contracted with the Chiefs through to 2019, hasn’t played at all this year because of ongoing concussion issues. His last competitive outing was for Hawke’s Bay last October.
Ozich said the 22-year-old is ‘‘symptom free’’ and has been cleared to play but revealed he would be held back from potentially returning to the fray until next year’s Mitre 10 Cup.
It means McNicol will miss the 2019 Super Rugby season after suffering multiple head knocks in the last three years.
‘‘Even though he’s feeling good and he’s been cleared from a medical point of view, New Zealand Rugby are holding him back to make sure he’s given time to recover and [they] are not rushing him back,’’ Ozich told Stuff yesterday.
‘‘He’s still young and, with his wellbeing and his future in mind, the consensus is to hold him back for another six months to make sure he comes back and has every opportunity to have longevity in the game, if he comes back.’’
Ozich said McNicol was confident of playing again despite the concussion nightmare that has dogged his young career.
‘‘He’s training with the guys, he’s doing the skill and condition work, so he’s a part of training, though he’s not [involved] in contact areas. He’s keeping fresh. He’s really hungry to play but he still understands that erring on the side of caution at this stage is probably [best].’’
After one appearance for the Hurricanes in 2015, when he picked up a concussion in what was his Super Rugby debut, he then fractured his eye socket when playing in a pre-season game for Wellington that year.
McNicol joined the Chiefs in 2016. An ankle injury kept him on ice before he became a regular in the side around two concussions
sustained at training.
In his last appearance in 2016, McNicol suffered yet another concussion when the Chiefs lost their semifinal against the Hurricanes.
It meant he missed all of Hawke’s Bay’s Mitre 10 Cup campaign that year.
McNicol was back playing for the Chiefs in April last year and told Stuff then he had turned to brain training to try to combat his long-running concussion battle after four head knocks in six months.
‘‘The symptoms just lingered,’’ he said. ‘‘So I missed all of Mitre 10 Cup [in 2016 having signed with Hawke’s Bay] due to that.
‘‘Then it was my first return to contact session from that concussion, in January, and I had a head clash with someone, and it set me back another six to eight weeks.’’
Then another blow to the head sustained in Fiji against the Crusaders last May ended his involvement in the 2017 Super Rugby season.
McNicol returned again later that year when turning out for Hawke’s Bay but more problems with concussion ruled him out of action in 2018.
Ozich, who this year has replaced Craig Philpott as Hawke’s Bay coach, admitted he was unsure if McNicol would play again.
‘‘He’s a great, great young man and I’ve got a lot of time for Sam, ’’ he said.
‘‘My hope for him is that he has the opportunity to play when he’s potentially fit. If that’s what he chooses to do, then I’ll support him.’’
McNicol will be part of Hawke’s Bay coaching staff in 2018.
‘‘The consensus is to hold him back for another six months to make sure he . . . has every opportunity to have longevity in the game.’’
Hawke’s Bay coach Mark Ozich on Sam McNicol