All Blacks sweat on injured skipper

All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has shed light on when veteran hooker Codie Taylor will play his first match of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

Taylor was appointed tour captain until regular skipper Ardie Savea links up with the squad ahead of the opening Test against the Springboks on 22 August. forestarrow.rest

However, a calf injury has sidelined the 35-year-old, while fellow rake George Bell has been ruled out with a calf strain suffered in training, prompting Bradley Slater’s arrival in South Africa.

Lock Patrick Tuipulotu will captain the All Blacks in Friday’s opener against the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium. Speaking ahead of the clash, Rennie said Taylor was on track for a run-out versus the Vodacom Bulls next Saturday.

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“He’s potentially going to be alright for the Bulls. We’re not going to rush that, though,” Rennie said. “He was running today, and had a little bit of time on the scrum sled.

“We’re definitely not looking at him against the Sharks. Maybe a small amount of game time against the Bulls to lead himself into a Test match.”

Naming an experienced lineup on Thursday, Rennie said the opening three club fixtures would provide every player with an opportunity to stake a claim for the first Test at Ellis Park.

“We’ve picked the teams to play in these games, and already made a few changes based on injury,” he added. “Looking at this first game, there’s a number of guys who have returned from injury or didn’t play a massive amount in the Nations Championship.

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“It’s pretty experienced. You’ve got guys like Beauden Barrett playing who didn’t play but is training out of his skin and ready to go. A number of guys would be desperate to make an impression.”

On flyhalf Barrett’s return, Rennie backed the veteran playmaker to guide the Kiwis. “He’s smart, he’s played 140-odd games for this country, so he won’t try and overplay his hand. His job is to help implement and organise people around him.

“We’ve got a clear plan of how we want to play. We just want him to get out and drive the ship for us,” the coach said.

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Rennie expects the competition for places to intensify over the next week: “For the guys who aren’t playing, they’ve got to wait four days so their opportunity is only around the corner.

“While us coaches have done a fair bit of work on the Sharks, the players have been totally on the Stormers. We’re just making sure that we’re where our feet are, is where our focus is

“Everyone will get their opportunity; these boys are excited about getting theirs on Friday.”

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

The post All Blacks sweat on injured skipper appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

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