Brodie Retallick out, but news brighter on rest of the All Blacks' walking wounded
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen gave an update on his players' fitness concerns for the first test.
The All Blacks will open their test year without world-class lock Brodie Retallick, but hope to have the rest of their walking wounded fit to play against the French at Eden Park on Saturday night.
Coach Steve Hansen confirmed at his Monday media debriefing at the All Blacks team hotel that the 68-test Chiefs second-rower, who injured his pectoral muscle in Saturday night's home 34-20 defeat to the Crusaders, was their only confirmed defection for the June series opener.
They are not sure of the extent of Retallick's absence through the injury yet, but have removed him from the equation for the first week at least. Veteran Crusaders lock Luke Romano (for Sonny Bill Williams) and impressive Highlanders second row Tom Franklin (as cover for Retallick) have both been drafted into the squad to bolster their stock of big men.
Injured lock Brodie Retallick cuts a frustrated figure at an All Blacks gym session in Auckland on Monday.
Experienced Crusaders No 7 Matt Todd has also been called in, essentially to cover for some "soreness" being felt by Hurricanes openside Ardie Savea in the wake of their 30-14 defeat to the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday.
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"I can't tell you anything about Brodie for definite, other than he won't be playing Saturday," said Hansen during an extensive injury update. "We've got to wait until the holiday is over to get a scan."
But the news was a lot brighter on the rest of the All Blacks' walking wounded, with Hansen confirming it was hoped Sam Cane (abdominal strain), Jordan Taufua (calf), Jack Goodhue (hamstring), Sam Whitelock (concussion symptoms) and Ryan Crotty (concussion symptoms) would all be available for selection after missing chunks of time with their franchises.
Hansen said in-form No 7 Cane, after a spell on the sideline, was "coming along quietly and we expect him to be available this week. Training will tell us about that.
"He was very close to playing last week, and we're pretty confident that he'll be all right."
He also confirmed a positive prognosis on Whitelock and Crotty who had missed the last few weeks with the Crusaders while they dealt with the ongoing issues from head knocks.
"They both look like they're going to be available. With concussion, you can think you're ahead of it and all of a sudden it comes back, but at this stage they're all systems go."
No thought had been put into who would captain the All Blacks if Whitelock was ruled out.
It was a similar story with Goodhue, who will be a contender for the rejigged midfield in Williams' absence, and newcomer Taufua after both were late withdrawals from the Crusaders lineup in Hamilton on Saturday.
"Both look like they could be OK, but it's the beginning of the week and how they come through the training week will determine what we do with them."
Sonny Bill Williams' knee operation had also "gone well" and it was hoped he would be back running in about four weeks.
it's hoped Chiefs co-captain Sam Cane will be OK for the first French test after recovering from an abdominal injury.
Hansen was less keen to discuss the late-night incidents involving Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane prior to them assembling with the All Blacks on Sunday.
Barrett was involved in a police callout at 5am on Saturday in Dunedin when he and a friend apparently mistakenly entered the wrong flat to eat some fast-food.
Ioane was left with a cut above his eye after "antics" with a Blues team-mate after their loss to the Rebels on Saturday.
At the start of his media update, the All Blacks coach declared those two incidents off the table for discussion.
"I'm not really interested in talking about Jordie or Rieko. Enough has been said about that stuff," he said, before adding: "We've had conversations with the people that needed conversations."
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen wasn't keen to discuss the late-night antics of Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane.
Hansen had previously indicated that Barrett would not face official sanctions for his actions and put it down to a young man making a "stupid" decision.
The coach was also delighted that common-sense had prevailed in dismissing the citing of Liam Squire, who will start at No 6 against the French on Saturday.
"I understand why he got cited but I also understand why they let him off. Our game is very fluid, it's full of movement and if people move late you've got nowhere else to go, and in this case that's what happened. In this case they've given him the benefit of the doubt."
In terms of Highlanders lock Franklin, who had been so impressive in their upset of the Hurricanes, Hansen said it was a deserved callup for a player who ticked some key boxes for them.
"He's been with us before, knows our systems and has been playing well. He's a good aerial player, and when you lose someone like Brodie you've got to have someone who can play well in the air. He's also a good ball-carrier."
The All Blacks had a gym session and short indoors run on a wet Monday in Auckland, and would have their first full training hitout on Tuesday.
- Stuff
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