McNichol’s comeback put on hold as NZR takes
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