[新聞]AllBlack Injured Somerville left behind
Auckland prop Saimone Taumoepeau has replaced Greg Somerville for the All
Blacks' tour of Britain and Ireland, after the Cantabrian failed a fitness
test yesterday.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry said Somerville was cut from the tour party
because medical staff believed his injured calf muscle could force him out of
the first two tests, against Wales on November 6 (NZT) and Ireland a week
later.
"We were intending to play Greg against Ireland so he had some time to come
right," Henry said just hours before the 35-man squad were to fly out from
Auckland for the four-test tour.
"But it's a medical opinion that he might struggle to do that and we can't
take that risk."
Taumoepeau had been placed on standby when the team was named on Sunday
because of the calf muscle injury Somerville suffered in Canterbury's
Ranfurly Shield defence against Auckland on October 8.
Henry said the selectors had considered putting a prop with extensive
experience on both sides of the scrum, as Somerville has, on standby.
However, they decided to go with Taumoepeau, who can play both sides but who
has more experience as a loosehead, on the advice of the team's scrummaging
coach, Mike Cron
"It's on his suggestion really that we've taken Saimone and we work with the
mix that we've got," Henry said.
"Saimone played exceptionally well during the NPC. He had big games in the
semifinal and final – he was called the fastest prop in the world somewhere
I read – so that was a decision made by the specialists in that position."
Taumoepeau went to Britain and France with the All Blacks last year and had
been training with the team this week.
Meanwhile, Henry said he expected the team would face more questioning about
the alleged spear tackle which ended Brian O'Driscoll's Lions tour of New
Zealand in June.
Newly-released amateur video footage reignited the controversy over the
tackle on Irishman O'Driscoll, the Lions skipper, by rival captain Tana Umaga
and Keven Mealamu in the first test in Christchurch.
South African match commissioner Willem Venter took no action against Umaga
and Mealamu for the tackle after they were cited by the Lions.
Henry hoped the O'Driscoll affair would die though he expected more
questions, especially with O'Driscoll's tour diary due to be published
shortly.
"All we can say is what we continue to say: it was an unfortunate incident,
but let's move on.
"We feel for Brian O'Driscoll, he's an outstanding rugby player and a top man
and there's a lot of sympathy for his injury but it was an accident and I
think it's time that the rugby world moved on.
"I guess Brian's book coming out right now has actually put a bit of fuel on
the fire, and so that probably hasn't helped but you can't control these
things."
Henry would not confirm whether Umaga and Mealamu would play against Ireland
on November 13.
However, he has stated that Umaga will play only one of the opening two
tests, meaning he could lead the side against Wales and be rested from the
Ireland test.
The International Rugby Board has signalled that it will launch a crackdown
on spear tackles, with offenders facing the prospect of a six-month ban.
參考網頁 http://www.nzallblacks.net/news.asp
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