Kieran Read
The New Zealand media are again speculating about the immediate future of their best player, No 8 Kieran Read.
According to Newstalk ZB Read is again a doubtful starter ahead of the second Test against England in Dunedin this coming Saturday.
Read, the reigning IRB Player of the Year, is still feeling the effects of two concussions which have sidelined him for much of this year’s Super Rugby competition and missed this past weekend’s 20-15 win over England in Auckland.
rugby365
According to the New Zealand media an extra passenger on the All Blacks’ plane to Dunedin means Read’s return for the second game in the three-Test series remains uncertain.
Blues loose forward Steven Luatua travelled with the squad to Dunedin.
He was initially only meant to cover for Read during the Auckland Test.
Based on Luatua’s presence, the first Test performance of Jerome Kaino and All Black coach Steven Hansen’s post comments, Newstalk ZB editor Nigel Yalden suspects the All Black coach is leaning towards giving Read a week to train before considering him for the third Test.
Hansen described what unfolded at Eden Park as a typical opening Test of the year.
He said everyone looked for the All Blacks to be perfect from the get-go and the players probably had the same expectation of themselves as well.
“But sometimes that’s not the reality and we struggled at times with our skill execution,” he said.
“Usually that’s an indicator that we’ve got cluttered minds. Then, if we have cluttered minds, it’s probably because we’ve made them cluttered through the week giving them too much to do.”
However, Hansen says some of that is necessary when getting players from five different franchises coming together.
“I think, another six days, we will step up a few more levels and be in a better position to really gauge where we’re at.”
Dogs are very easily entertained.
I just watched my dog chase his tail for 10 minutes.
That’s right 10 minutes.
How easily entertained I am.
1 @ cane:
You have a dog?
Poor thing!
Keiran will come off the bench in either in the 2nd or 3rd Test.
NO speculation required.
Steve Hansen said he was concerned about Reid’s lack of game time in recent weeks, and his re-integration would not be rushed.
In the mean time, Luatua, Kaino, Ritchie, Liam and Vito will do just fine.
Fabulous man-management by Steve.
3 @ cane:
I agree, it’s good, solid, conservative player management, and should be commended!
@ grootblousmile:
No Groot.
We have a friggen cat.
I just thought I would share a small piece of wisdom,
on a Thread no one else will kieran read.
(Fark…………………………. I do hope Ryeman doesn’t pick up my spelling errors).
@ grootblousmile:
I think it was BullyScottie who posted an article last week about Player “Concussion”.
And an excellent Read it was too.
Players in the Professional era have been considered “Meat”. A commodity.
6 @ cane:
The more medical science advance and the more we start to understand about the symptoms of concussion, the more it will start to get managed properly, I am sure.
In the old days, when I played… once your headaches were gone, you were good to go…. hehehe
grootblousmile wrote:
When I played, if you still had a headache it was normally babalas and you were forced to play anyway.
Jeez, one freegin Sport24 reporter was both brave and foolhardy… look at this lot of kak in his article.
PS! PS! I repeat, it is not MY words and I think the All Blacks will shake off a lot of rust this week already!
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The All Blacks won’t win this year’s Rugby Championship – nor will the finish the year as the world’s No 1-ranked side.
There, I said it.
The All Blacks were woeful at best in beating an England ‘B’ side 20-15 in the first of their three-Test series in Auckland on Saturday.
This England side only arrived in New Zealand during the week and were without players from the top 2 English clubs – Saracens and Northampton – who had contested the Aviva Premiership final the weekend prior.
In addition, the were playing at fortress Eden Park where the All Blacks haven’t lost in 31 matches stretching back decades.
While the five New Zealand franchises have been impressive in Super Rugby this year, it’s clear that for all their standout performances across the board, that doesn’t translate into a formidable starting XV.
It’s been belief of mine for some time now that the New Zealand teams like ‘size’.
The Under-20 Baby Blacks have been monstered of late at the Junior World Cup, while the current All Blacks team lacks bulk. Think flanks Liam Messam and Richie McCaw, scrumhalf Aaron Smith, flyhalf Aaron Cruden, wings Cory Jane and Ben Smith and fullback Israel Dagg.
Sure, they are all talented individuals, but ‘size matters’ as we all know…
Despite having at least 12 senior players unavailable, the England second-stringers finished ahead in the territory and possession stakes as well as the number of line-breaks and tackles broken. They also took the only clean lineout steal and only tighthead of the match.
Contrast New Zealand performance with that of Australia’s and the Springboks against France and a World XV, respectively, and it’s clear the once mighty All Blacks are a team on a downward spiral, which, from a SA point of view, is fantastic news with the 2015 Rugby World Cup a matter of 15 months away…
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Farking early in the season to pre-judge the all Blacks, fokkie toggie!
@9 GBS
I said during the SR already that the Aussies will stop that record in the first game of the RC and I stay by that.
The Aussies can easily win the RC this year, whether anyone will overtake the AB’s as nr. 1 side, I somehow doubt that.
@ grootblousmile:
The All Blacks rely on counter attacks to score tries, if a team plays “less rugby” it cuts down on scoring opportunities for them thats why teams like Eng will be competitive and why we need to employ conservative gameplans against them… That said, it is way too early to call, England can bring their best team and three of their Samoan friends and still get destroyed next week.
Caner should know what he’s talking about. He sounds like a man who has had more than his fair share of cranial mishaps.
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