Category: Sports

Get the latest Pilot Medical Update ahead of Sunday’s Round 21 match against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL INJURY LIST >>>

Dylan Grimes, hamstring

“Dylan suffered a hamstring strain in the third quarter of the game on the weekend, which is really disappointing and frustrating for him and us. We’re in a situation at the moment when we’re getting some further investigation. He had some scans yesterday and it’s a high hamstring strain up around the upper tendon and the upper hamstring, an area where he’s had an issue in the past, 10 years ago he had some surgery on that same area… At this stage it’s probably looking doubtful that he’s going to play in the last three home and away games of the season. So, we’re going to need to have a look at what lies beyond that. We’ll gather some more information over the next couple of days and we’ I’ll give everyone an update.”

Dustin Martin, hamstring

“Dustin is progressing through a rehab phase still. We’re in a bit of a holding pattern with this one, he’s getting plenty of running volume into himself, but we’re still finding it a little challenging to progress his speed. Given the location of the injury, it means we have to build some more strength work in the gym and build his running base out here on the field. So, we’re not progressing his speed significantly this week. In terms of return to play, it’s We’re still very unclear. We’re hopeful (Round 23) is a possibility, but as time rolls on, if we’re not able to progress significantly in the next week or so, that starts to become a little less clear. Doing everything we can and Dustin’s working really hard, but we’re working with an injury that can be quite tricky and one that has challenged us quite a bit this year with some players. and everything that we can do and we’ll push forward.”

Samson Ryan, concussion

“Samson just needs to go through the 12-day concussion protocol so he’s through most of that now. He’s got to tick off some stuff with the cub doctor and will return to some modified training early this week and full contact training late in the week … I’d expect he’d be playing this weekend.”

Richmond Injury List:

Probable

Samson Ryan – concussion

unavailable

Dylan Grimes – hamstring (medium-term)

Dustin Martin – hamstring (medium-term)

Coming off their 1-2 series loss to Ireland, it fell on the players to go out and perform.

“It doesn’t matter who is coaching us, it comes down to how we perform on the field.

“We’ve got to perform for 80-plus minutes. It’s not about performing for periods of the game. We’ve got to be consistent right across the board. Through set-piece, round the field, breakdown, defense etc.

“That’s something we need to drive as players,” he said.

In the situation the All Blacks were in with their recent losses, Whitelock recalled the advice he received when first making the side, ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup when there was so much pressure to win the trophy for the first time in 24 years.

Older players said to forget all the media and comment outside the team and to concentrate on what the team could control. And that was what he had told the younger members of this year’s side.

“Controlling how you are playing, how you’re training, how you’re preparing. That’s the best thing I got given as advice and it’s still true now as one of the older boys,” he said.

In the wake of the lost series to Ireland, the All Blacks were looking to improve. And that was the same whether they won, lost or drew games.

“At the moment we do know there are some areas we need to be better at. Conceding a couple of maul tries is the obvious one for me as a tight forward. That is a key area I am focusing on and making sure we can get better.”

All members of the forward pack were involved in doing that.

South Africa would play to their strengths.

“But in saying that, you never want to go in there and think you have their game plan in your head. They’re smart guys. They’ve got a number of guys who play around the world and different styles they can go to.” .

“That’s something for us to make sure that we can stop their plan A, and from that, if they change it, then we’ve got to be able to stop that as well.

“That’s the beauty of rugby, sometimes you go out there, and you know how they are going to play. It’s just stopping it, that’s the major one.

“That’s the cool thing about the challenge of playing against South Africa, the old foe as such, and it is nice when you get out there to play when you’ve spent all the time training,” he said.

Whitelock said he loved being back in South Africa, as did many of his team-mates.

“It is an awesome spot to play. It’s one of those spots that’s hard to play, but that’s why I enjoy it so much,” he said.

Whitelock said while they were not at home, there was no escaping the pressure on the side.

“For us as players, as a team, we’re always trying to put pressure on ourselves, but it is good for us. It’s great for the team to be over here together. We’ve got time to work on what we need to work on.

“We’ve got a great facility here, a training facility close to our hotel so we can get into it and have a little bit more time on-field to improve. That’s what we’re trying to do, improve a number of areas of our game.”

Sam Whitelock has seen it all before. Of course he has, over a 134-test All Blacks career that stretches back 13 seasons and some giddy peaks, interspersed with a few gut-wrenching lows.

So, as he ponders the latest predicament ahead of back-to-back tests against the Springboks in South Africa that are not just likely to decide the fate of the head coach – New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson made that tantalizingly clear last Saturday – but indeed tell us a lot about the future prospects of an All Blacks team giving every indication of teetering on the brink, it was remarkable to hear him put things in fairly firm perspective.

The All Blacks’ most capped player said from the team’s training base in White River, just out of Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit in the northeast of the republic, that he knows exactly what to draw on as he looks to do his bit to negotiate a way out of the look.

“When I first came into the team we were going into a World Cup at home, and hadn’t won it for 24 years,” he said after the New Zealanders kicked off preparations with their customary “clarity” session. “There was a lot of external pressure, and the best advice I got from senior players was don’t read into the media, don’t worry about all those things, just control what you can control.

“That’s the main thing I’ve been telling the boys – think about yourself, control how you train, prepare and play. It was the best thing I got given as advice, and it’s still true now.”

But Whitelock acknowledged this was a different sort of position the All Blacks found themselves in after defeat in four of their last five tests, and a first home series loss in 28 years.

You have to go all the way back to 1998 for a worse funk (five straight defeats to Australia and South Africa from July 11 to August 29), though 2009’s four losses in eight tests, including a three-game sweep by the Boks, also offers series similarities.

“The pressure cooker is still on,” said Whitelock in response to a query on whether it was good to escape the reaction at home. “As players and as a team we’re always trying to put pressure on ourselves. But it is good for us to be over here. It’s a great time to work on what we need to work on, we’ve got great facilities, a nice training field and close to our hotel, so we can have a little more time on the field to improve.”

Improve they’ll surely need to against the predatory Boks who would have been watching the All Blacks’ descent since they rolled them on the Gold Coast last October with interest. The South Africans are not the team you want to expose your soft underbelly to.

“We’re always looking to get better – that shouldn’t change, win loss or draw,” added the 33-year-old lock who has tucked away 20 tests against the South Africans in his career. “But at the moment we know we have some areas we need to be better at. Conceding a couple of maul tries [against Ireland] is an obvious one for myself as a tight forward. That’s a key area I’m focused on.”

Whitelock talked about the predictable nature of the Boks’ game-plan and cautioned, “they’re smart guys, they play all around the world, and have a number of different styles they can go to… the beauty of rugby is sometimes you know how they’re going to play and it’s actually stopping it that’s the major one”.

He also brushed off any impact his Crusaders forwards coach Jason Ryan will be able to make in little more than a week with the team. “It falls on to us as players – we’ve got to go out there and perform for 80-plus minutes, whether that’s at set piece, round the field, the breakdown, defensively… it’s something we need to drive as players.”

Center Rieko Ioane, coming off a flat series against Ireland, adopted a similar tone of self-ownership.

“As backs, we need to fire as well. We know we’re coming up against a world-class outfit, and we need to get better all over the park,” he said.

“It’s a completely different beast we’re facing this week. The Irish play how they play, the Africans have some similarities, but they’re smart footballers, they’ll see what we did [against Ireland]and we’ve got to plan for their absolute best game.

“Some of the toughest games I’ve played in the black jersey have been over here. Last time (a 32-30 victory in Pretoria in 2018) it went beyond the 80th minute, and we had to dig deep. The hardest games and toughest places to play are the ones you want to be a part of.”