Canes stars on the sideline
No matter what Beauden Barrett said, he was never going to play against the Crusaders this weekend.
Despite only returning from his honeymoon on Monday, the All Blacks first-five indicated on Tuesday he was keen to play for the Hurricanes in Christchurch tomorrow.
But when the team was announced yesterday, he was omitted from the 23 as expected, as was Ardie Savea in a slightly more unexpected move.
Fellow All Blacks TJ Perenara and Ngani Laumape have been relegated to the bench, while Dane Coles and Jordie Barrett both start at hooker and fullback respectively.
The omissions and benchings are all part of the All Blacks’ return to play protocols, as advised to the Super Rugby teams by New Zealand Rugby. Those included the All Blacks not playing more than 60 minutes in week one, or 180 minutes total across the first three games.
Perenara, Laumape and Savea all exceeded those by playing 80 minutes in their win over the Waratahs last Saturday, meaning the first two have been banished to the bench, while Savea reported a minor knee tweak, so has been left out entirely.
It’s a minefield for Hurricanes coach John Plumtree to navigate.
He may have planned to withdraw Perenara in the second half last weekend, but that went out the window when James Marshall’s injury saw him make the onthe-fly decision to shift Perenara to first-five and bring Finlay Christie on.
‘‘It’s not easy, but it’s something that is important,’’ Plumtree said of the protocols. ‘‘We see it as important and that’s why we’re buying in with New Zealand [Rugby].’’
Just why Beauden Barrett expressed his desire to play this weekend when knowing full well he was extremely unlikely to do so remains unknown.
Plumtree said restriction of minutes had been difficult for his
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