Crusaders lose Grace to fractured thumb
Crusaders loose forward Cullen Grace is set for an unspecified stint on the sideline with a fractured thumb.
The impressive 20-year-old Timaru Boys’ High School product was to have surgery in Christchurch yesterday, having sustained the injury late in the team’s win against the Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.
‘‘Subsequent investigation showed he has sustained a fracture at the base of his thumb which will require surgery to repair,’’ the Crusaders said.
The franchise will advise his return-to-play timeframe, and an injury replacement, after a post-surgery consultation.
But there will be hope Grace can pull off a Matt Todd-type recovery.
In 2018, the Crusaders’ fetcher suffered a fracture to the base of his thumb and was expected to miss up to a month of action, only to return a fortnight later for a matchup with Ardie Savea and the Hurricanes.
Todd, having been cleared by the surgeon, wore a protective guard over his damaged thumb and didn’t miss a beat.
Regardless of Grace’s outcome, it’s the second significant blow to the 10-times champions’ pack within a week, given captain Scott Barrett required season-ending foot surgery last Thursday.
Grace has been one of the finds of the season among all teams.
The abrasive Grace made a match-high 21 tackles in the Crusaders’ 18-13 win against the Chiefs, a match he started at blindside flanker but finished at No 8.
Grace also has the ability to play lock, where he was predominantly used by Canterbury in last year’s Mitre 10 Cup.
It’s not often rookies join Super Rugby teams, particularly one with as much as depth as the Crusaders, and become regular starters off the bat.
But that’s precisely what the highly touted Grace has done, starting four of the six pre Covid-19 matches, one of them at No 8, and both their Super Rugby Aotearoa games.
It helped that Ethan Blackadder was unavailable pre Covid as he recovered from shoulder surgery, but nobody would argue Grace didn’t look the part.
His shoulders have already got a reputation as being hard as concrete, and his work-rate is undeniable.
Grace’s lineout prowess has already resulted in Robertson comparing him to All Blacks and Crusaders great Kieran Read, who started his career at No 6.
‘‘When you’ve got hops like Cullen Grace. I’ve mentioned before, that Kieran Read spring. He hardly jumps but look at him. He’s got a special bit of timing in him.’’
Blackadder, having recovered and played off the bench the past two weeks, is likely to start in place of Grace in the No 6 jersey against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday night.
In addition to Tom Christie, Whetukamokamo Douglas and Billy Harmon, the Crusaders’ loose forward stocks also includes Tom Sanders, Ethan Roots, and Sione Havili.
Robertson names his team tomorrow to play the Highlanders.