Marshall in isolation after kissing reporter
A day after he was sensationally dropped by Wests Tigers, Benji Marshall is again in the headlines after being involved in a breach of biosecurity protocols.
Seven News reporter Michelle Bishop has been sent for a Covid-19 test after Marshall gave her a kiss arriving at training yesterday. The incident occurred about 10am as the Kiwi international made his way to the field from his car.
Given Marshall has been in the Tigers’ biosecurity bubble, the assumption is he is coronavirus free. He has been sent home while the club awaits the result of Bishop’s test.
‘‘Wests Tigers are aware of a biosecurity matter at training today involving co-captain Benji Marshall,’’ the Tigers said.
‘‘Marshall was involved in a socialdistancing incident with an accredited reporter, which was immediately reported to the NRL as per guidelines.
‘‘Under those guidelines, Marshall will remain at home tomorrow – which is a scheduled day off for Wests Tigers NRL squad – while the reporter undergoes a Covid-19 test.
‘‘Assuming a negative result is returned, no further action will be required by Marshall or Wests Tigers.’’
Marshall was dropped on Tuesday following a loss to the Gold Coast despite being in equal-second place in the Dally M medal standings. He was one of six changes for Michael
Maguire’s side for the clash against Canberra on Saturday after the coach blasted the club’s inconsistent performances.
The rest of the squad was left reeling from the news during training yesterday morning, with pressure building on the side to pull out a win against the Raiders.
Halfback Luke Brooks said he felt lucky to survive Maguire’s axe.
‘‘I thought Benji had been one of our best players throughout the start of the year, so it was a bit of a shock,’’ he said. ‘‘It puts everyone on notice if someone like Benji can be dropped then no one is safe.’’
Brooks will need to work hard over the next few days to perform alongside his replacement halves partner Josh Reynolds, who has struggled to get minutes in the No 6 jersey under Maguire.
‘‘On the weekend I didn’t play my best footy,’’ Brooks said. ‘‘My kicking game wasn’t where it needed to be and that put us under a lot of pressure.’’
As a result of the shock dumping, Moses Mbye, who is the captain of the squad alongside Marshall, will be forced to step up in a greater leadership role amid a turbulent time for the club.
■ The battling Warriors are set to suffer another setback, with rugged Sharks prop Toby Rudolf poised to backflip on his deal to join the club next season.
Rudolf agreed to join the Warriors after the club made him a lucrative offer while the game was in Covid-19 lockdown recently.
But sources close to the 24-year-old dynamo have said Rudolf has had second thoughts and now wants to remain with the Sharks.
Rudolf has been one of the big success stories of the opening rounds of the season.
Strong and fearless, he agreed to a three-year deal with the Warriors and would have been a handy addition to the Kiwi team’s struggling pack. He is expected to ask for a release on compassionate grounds due to an illness of a close relative.
The damage to All Blacks prop Angus Ta’avao’s upper left leg was so unusual his surgeon had only done similar repair jobs on a handful of occasions.
Ta’avao’s problems began when a Chiefs team-mate smacked into his limb during a contact drill just days before he appeared in the first-round Super Rugby game against the Blues on January 31.
Now, more than four months later, the 14-test front rower is still waiting to play his second first-class game of the year.
Initially the injury was diagnosed as a knee contusion and haematoma that would take around six weeks to heal.
However it turned out Ta’avao was in strife. He had actually torn his vastus medialis oblique, a quadriceps muscle on the inside of the thigh that attaches to the knee cap, and required an operation in Auckland on February 28.
‘‘It [the muscle] didn’t fully tear off but the majority of it did,’’ Ta’avao said. ‘‘It is very rare, and that is probably why it took a while to really understand what it was.
‘‘I think he [the surgeon] said he had only operated on about three people before [with similar injuries] and for a surgeon who is operating every day, to only come across a handful of them, it reiterated it was a rare injury.’’
The medical professionals discussed whether Ta’avao could avoid an operation, but as an athlete who relies on explosiveness and power to do his job his options were limited.
‘‘So I went under the knife with a torn VMO and they stitched that back together, and I am on the road back now.’’
All Blacks and Chiefs team-mate Atu Moli required surgery after he was diagnosed with compartment syndrome and a haematoma in his upper leg in 2018, and doctors warned that as a worst-case scenario amputation may have been required.
Ta’avao said there was never any risk of him receiving such a drastic