Highlanders plan backup with Hunt uncertainty
Highlanders coach Clarke Dermody won’t rule out a move in the player market for a new No 10 as Mitch Hunt continues to recover from a neck issue that has kept him out of rugby since May.
The Highlanders have Hunt, Marty Banks and Cameron Millar on their books at No 10, but with Millar at the start of his career Hunt’s status is being closely monitored.
‘‘Talking to the medics we’re still confident that he’s been cleared of concussion and brain injury, so I think we’ll have a pretty good idea post Christmas,’’ Dermody said.
‘‘He hasn’t played since the Force game and has done no contact, so we’re going to try to build him up to see where we can get to.
‘‘. . . but it [bringing in another No 10] is definitely something we’re thinking about.’’
Hunt has been sidelined since a heavy head collision with Richard Kahui during a Super Rugby Pacific game in Dunedin, and missed the rest of the campaign with concussion symptoms.
Subsequently, a neck problem was identified as the source of ongoing issues, but given the nature of the injury a cautious approach is being taken.
Losing Hunt would be a blow given his leadership qualities and rugby nous, but the Highlanders – who start their pre-season next Thursday – have little choice but to start formulating plans to prepare for a worst-case scenario.
One option would be to move Sam Gilbert to No 10, but Dermody was lukewarm about that shift.
With the rosters of the New Zealand Super Rugby sides already full, the Highlanders would likely have to look overseas.
While Hunt’s return is a wait-and-see proposition, lock Pari Pari Parkinson looks to have a clearer route back to the playing field.
Parkinson suffered a ‘‘a multi-ligament rupture to his right knee’’ while playing for Tasman last year, but Dermody said he was making progress.
Dermody said Parkinson – viewed by many as a potential All Black – had coped well with the long spell out of action.
‘‘Him and his partner have had a baby girl in that time,’’ Dermody said. ‘‘That’s a good focus around life. There’s bigger things than rugby at the end of the day.’’
Dermody will take the Highlanders squad to Te Anau for some sheep shearing to wrap up their pre-Christmas training block.
The Southlander – himself the son of a shearer – said he was determined that the Highlanders players connected with communities in the Deep South after a few years of Covid disruptions.