The All Blacks today trained together for the first time since the Super Rugby final, the Chiefs and Crusaders arriving in various states of disrepair in Auckland after one of the most intense ever tournament showpieces which not surprisingly has taken a toll on Sam Whitelock in particular.
Whitelock, nursing an Achilles injury and not certain to start the final until kick-off at Waikato Stadium last Saturday, didn’t train with the squad at Mt Smart Stadium today and is likely a doubt for the first Rugby Championship Test against Argentina in Mendoza on July 9 NZT.
Others were suffering in different ways after the Crusaders’ 25-20 victory, including prop Tamaiti Williams, the All Blacks newcomer who, according to hooker Dane Coles, has lost his voice celebrating.
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster had all but ruled out Whitelock from playing in the final due to his injury but watched as his veteran lock played regardless and today said: “Obviously he played during that recovery period so we’ve just got to wait and see how he transitions in the next week or two.”
Asked whether he would have preferred the 34-year-old to sit out what was likely his last chance to play for the Crusaders, Foster replied: “Just look at him now.
“He made a decision based on the medical advice he got and in a sense rolled the dice and got through it, but he’s not right to train today so we’ve just got to deal with what we’ve got now.”
Crusaders wing Leicester Fainga’anuku and his tight calf is the other (minor) casualty of the final, with Blues wing Mark Telea continuing his recovery from a knee strain and Crusaders prop Fletcher Newell impressing Foster with the way he is bouncing back from a long-term foot problem.
Foster said the All Blacks would not require cover for midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown, banned for two weeks for his high tackle on Dallas McLeod in final.
“There’s probably 40% of the team feeling fresh and 60% have come in… but we’re used to that. It’s a tough time the transition from one campaign to the other,” he said.
“You’ve got to get everyone on the same page and you’ve got to get used to different language. You have to deal with the emotions of finals.
“What we’ve learned is you can’t go too fast with it. You can’t expect people to adapt and adjust straight away and ignore the emotional toll of what people have been through. It’s a slow-to-fast process this week.
“We’re making sure we don’t push them too fast physically… but we’re demanding on the mental side of it because we have to make sure we’re ready.”
Foster revealed that a large squad of at least 36, including injury replacements Shaun Stevenson and Tevita Mafileo, would travel to Mendoza for the first of five Tests ahead of the World Cup which kicks off in September.
The All Blacks wouldn’t normally travel with such a large group but the decision is likely based on the need to build combinations and relationships during the eight-week build-up to France.
“We haven’t got a formula to say the finalists won’t play,” Foster said of the Test against the Pumas.
“We’re keen to build combinations but we’ve got tread that line this week to see where the energy levels are.”
Those levels will be variable but the relationships are likely improving.
Asked about the “vibe” between the Crusaders and Chiefs players, Hurricanes hooker Coles said: “The first day is always quite niggly but we had a meeting last night and everyone was joking around.
“A bit of humour is always a good thing. I think they’ve left it. The Chiefs and Crusaders boys went to bed at 7 o’clock last night so they got an extra bit of sleep.”
Foster, asked about the yellow cards to three of the Chiefs’ All Blacks in the final, including a crucial one late in the game to All Blacks skipper Cane, said: “You look at Sam’s decision… people were actually very aggressive in that [breakdown] space for the whole game and he probably tried once too often.
"Sometimes there is a bit of a lesson there – your senior players can sometimes want something so badly that they over-extend and force a play when they don’t need to.”
Of the abuse referee Ben O’Keeffe received following the match, Foster said: “There’s no place for it. Ben’s a quality ref and I trust he was making the decisions for the right reasons.
“The refs have a tough job and we’ve just got to keep standing by them.”
Coles added: “Abuse is not a great thing, especially in direct messages from some muppets on social media. I’ve been in those shoes and it’s not fun.”
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