'Not happy': Phipps ruled out of Sunwolves match with calf injury
Frustrated Waratahs halfback Nick Phipps has been told he won’t be on the plane to Japan this week to face the Sunwolves as his problematic calf continues to curtail his season.
Phipps, who has played 61 Tests for the Wallabies, is set to miss a sixth straight Super Rugby match for the Waratahs.
Healthy rivalry: NSW halfbacks Nick Phipps, left, and Gordon enjoy pushing each other to be better.
Photo: Wolter PeetersAssistant coach Simon Cron confirmed the news at NSW training on Tuesday a day before the team flies out for Japan to take on the cellar dwellers of the Australian conference on Saturday afternoon.
“I believe he’s back but in terms of the load that he’s run in the last week and a half it’s not enough really for us to take him over to Japan,” Cron said. “Talking with the athletics performance guys, they’re keener to have him run and get some more load because it’s a soft tissue injury. We don’t want him to come back that week early and be blowing.”
Jake Gordon has done a sound job in the No.9 jersey this year for the Waratahs but the lengthy delay has annoyed Phipps, who has been told for weeks he is on the cusp of a return.
He will, however, have enough opportunities to get game-time under his belt and impress Michael Cheika ahead of selection for the June Test series against Ireland.
“It’s pretty frustrating for him,” Cron said. “You see his face, he’s not a happy man. Unfortunately that’s what we’ve got to do to make sure he lasts.”
As for Israel Folau, who injured his hamstring in the Waratahs’ 24-17 win over the ACT Brumbies, he is still expected to be on the sidelines for a month.
“They believe it’s more muscular than tendon-based and it’s going to be four weeks at this stage,” Cron said.
Cron said Alex Newsome and Cam Clark were leading the charge to cover for Folau in the starting XV this weekend.
There is no need to move Taqele Naiyaravoro from his starting wing position though after another stellar outing in which he scored two tries.
Cron described the Fijian flyer as a “weapon” and has talked up his potential.
“He gives us something different,” Cron said. “He’s a big bit of meat and when he gets his timing right he’s hard in motion to stop. There are still work-ons in his game … so he can be the best he can be and he knows those areas to work on. He does some damage. [Henry] Speight didn’t tackle him too well down that sideline.”
The Waratahs will be working this week on ensuring they hold onto the ball better after a number of handling errors in the nation’s capital.
Although the Sunwolves are yet to win a game this year from five attempts, Cron was quick to talk them up.
“I think they’re the best Sunwolves team I’ve seen in a long time,” Cron said. “They present a real challenge for us if we don’t get things right.
“I think they’ve got the second best gainline stats off set-piece. They are similar to some of the New Zealand teams. They play with quick ruck speed, they know where they’re going, they will try and break you down by playing a lot of phases.”
NSW hooker Damien Fitzpatrick said it was nice to see the Waratahs’ scrum match it with the Brumbies. He is also predicting a tough encounter at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium.
“We’ve been chipping away there," Fitzpatrick said. "It’s not a finished product by any means but it’s nice that we’re getting some input from some of our younger players.
“The Sunwolves are playing very similar to the Highlanders of probably two or three years ago. They look for space, they’re a very fast team, so we’re going to have to make sure we’ve got our defensive structures well in place.”