No return date for Payne after migraines
● Centre facing further tests on problem as Lions defend concussion protocol work
Jared Payne faces an uncertain recovery period after being stood down due to suffering from migraines.
The Ireland centre was withdrawn from the British and Irish Lions’ clash against the Hurricanes last Tuesday after complaining of headaches, and faces further tests as the problem continues to linger.
Lions medical chief Dr Eanna Falvey admitted there is no clear return date for Payne yet, despite the 31-year-old progressing through a raft of tests.
“He’s actually suffering from migraine,” Dr Falvey said of Payne, who has remained in Wellington after the Lions’ secondtestwinovernewzealand for further testing.
“He had a bang in the Chiefs game (on 20 June ), but he was fully cleared from concussion. But he’s been struggling with migraines and that’s an independent process since then.”
Payne missed the Lions’ 31-31 draw against Hurricanes, and was then not involved in Saturday’s 24-21 triumph over the All Blacks.
The Ulster flyer has stayed in Wellington while the Lions squad have moved on to Queenstown. The tourists will face New Zealand in the third and decisive Test at Eden Park on Saturday.
“Jared’s slightly more difficult,” Dr Falvey said of Payne’s recovery situation. “Thankfully all his tests have been good. He’s suffering from migraine symptoms at the moment.
“The specialist is quite happy with him. He’ll have a couple more minor tests, and that will give us more idea. But while he still has a headache, he won’t be training.”
Ireland and Leinster centre Robbie Henshaw could now face a four-month lay-off after tearing his pectoral muscle off the bone. “The muscle needs to be reattached, and that’s usually about a 16-week recovery,” Dr Falvey said.
Dr Falvey also defended the Lions’ concussion protocol work during the tour.
England prop Joe Marler, pictured, and lock Courtney Lawes clashed heads in the Lions’ 34-6 win over the Chiefs inhamiltonlastmonth.lawes underwentandpassedapitchside head injury assessment (HIA), and returned to action. Marler played on, but Dr Falvey revealed the Lions spotted in footage the next day something they felt worthy of further assessment.
“All the HIA management is a collaborative event now. I’m not making a decision on my own about that any more,” Dr Falvey said. “One of our medical team sits in the box as a spotter. He has the broadcast feed and he can rewind that. I also have access to a system where I have 12 views to look at any impact and decide whether it meets the criteria for permanent removal. “Added to that, there are three independent doctors reviewing that and watching the game themselves.
“We made a conscious decision that the independent doctor would do all the HIAS. We then remove any implication at all that we’d be favouring a player to go back on.
“Players have to look after themselves. But even with all that, things get missed.
“Joe Marler, for example, in the Chiefs match. Joe at the time was okay, and the doctors were quite happy with him staying on. The next day when we reviewed our own video, we saw Joe had actually gotten up and fallen to the ground. So that fulfils the criteria for removal. So then we moved Joe through a gradual return to play.” New Zealand assistant coach Ian Foster accepts that striking the balance between physicality and strong discipline will be vital in Saturday’s Test series decider against the British and Irish Lions.
The All Blacks were left reeling by centre Sonny Bill Williams’ red card as they lost the second Test 24-21 in Wellington last weekend.
The Lions were also guilty of conceding several penalties, and they had prop Mako Vunipola sin-binned for an illegal challenge on New Zealand stand-off Beauden Barrett.
Williams is now serving a four-week ban following a judicial hearing, and Foster said: “We’ve always said that we just go through the processes and stand by the decisions.
“They are what they are. We’ve copped a punishment for it, and we move on.”
Asked about the balance between physicality and discipline, Foster added: “That is the line, isn’t it?
“That is the beauty of these sort of games where it is a deciding Test. You know there is a lot at stake and everyone is trying to impose themselves physically, and it is whether you are smart enough to control that and be effective with it.
“It is something we work hard at.
“We have to make sure we are totally under control, but bring the physicality. The two Tests have been quite noticeable – one we won that battle, and one they won that battle. It shows how important it is.
“We probably didn’t do a good enough job when we went down to 14 to make sure our mindset didn’t narrow, and I think that it did. There was still some clear stuff for us to go to, and probably our vision was a bit narrow.
“That is not something natural for us, but we allowed ourselves to get into that sort of mode. For 45 minutes and a man down, that mode was working pretty well for us, but when we needed to see things a bit differently we probably took too long to do that.”
Foster, meanwhile, said centre Ryan Crotty, who suffered a hamstring injury during the first Test, is unlikely to recover in time. And with Williams also sidelined, All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen seemingly faces a choice between Ngani Laumape and Malakai Fekitoa as Anton Lienertbrown’s midfield partner.