All Blacks left wing Caleb Clarke has been ruled out of his team’s clash against England at Twickenham next weekend, a complication which may have consequences for the well-performing midfield.
Clarke failed a head injury assessment after colliding with an opponent’s hip early in the second half of the All Blacks’ 25-17 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield and requires a 12-day stand-down.
Clarke, a powerful ball carrier with an excellent workrate and efficiency under the high ball, has a like-for-like potential replacement in the form of Leicester Fainga’anuku but the Tasman man has made such a good fist of centre over the last two weeks that the selectors may opt to keep him there.
Fanga’anuku, given his opportunity alongside in-form second-five Quinn Tupaea due to the absence of the injured Jordie Barrett, has the power and offloading game in the middle of the park to worry England, who are on a nine-game winning streak.
Sevu Reece, who started on the wing for the All Blacks XV for their victory over England A in Bath yesterday, is now back with the All Blacks and is a potential replacement for Clarke.
Rieko Ioane is a possibility too – and more so as a No.11 than as a midfield option now. Billy Proctor, named on the bench against Scotland, is the logical starter at centre should the selectors opt to move Fainga’anuku.
The news is tough on Clarke, who has struggled with ankle injuries this year and, after an excellent Test against Ireland in Chicago which kicked off the All Blacks’ Grand Slam tour, was well on his way to becoming an incumbent in the position.
“He’s come back in the second half of the year really fit and strong,” assistant coach Jason Holland said this morning. “He’s enjoying his footy, he’s having a crack. He’s offloading, he’s loving the contests in the air. He’s been building nicely.”
And it reinforces the importance of Fainga’anuku, who had to wait until the final Test of the Rugby Championship for his opportunity and who has not failed to impress since.
Fainga’anuku’s offloading game has been a revelation for the All Blacks, but as Holland said: “That’s not his only strength. He sees the game and he knows what we’re trying to do.”
Holland gave an encouraging report on skipper Scott Barrett, ruled out of yesterday’s Test due to a badly cut leg, saying “he’s tracking reasonably well”, and was positive about his side’s crisp and accurate start at Murrayfield during which they went to a 17-0 lead.
The All Blacks looked as polished as they have all season in retaining the ball and putting Scotland under pressure, and their defence was also impressive, but the yellow cards for Leroy Carter, Ardie Savea and Wallace Sititi, and a dropped re-start to the second half, combined to change the game in the third quarter as the Scots got back on even terms.
England, in a high state of confidence due to their winning streak, which includes yesterday’s 38-18 victory over Fiji at Twickenham, is the last significant hurdle to a Grand Slam for the All Blacks.
The team’s final Test of the year is in Cardiff against Wales, who are ranked 12th in the world and were beaten 52-28 by Argentina at the weekend.
The All Blacks’ discipline was good against Ireland but reverted to type against Scotland and their penchant for self-sabotage in the form of multiple cards will be more harshly punished by England, who moved above France to No.4 in the world at the weekend.
“We don’t want to give any freebies to England because we know they’ll hurt us. We know how they’ll want to play. It will be no secret that they will go after us in the air. They’ve done that against most opposition and it will be a great challenge for us when they go there.
“It is frustrating. It puts you under pressure… there’s a personal responsibility around that, around guys trying really hard, but you’ve just got to be smart when you’re fatigued and under pressure," Holland said of the yellow cards.
“There’s no doubt – we can’t have three yellow cards in a game.”
Meanwhile, Holland said Damian McKenzie's match-winning heroics against Scotland were given short-shrift by his teammates.
"It’s a tough environment," he said. "The boys on the bus on the way here, all they could talk about was his conversion miss."
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