All Blacks issue injury update on ‘important’ captain Scott Barrett ahead of highly anticipated Springboks Tests
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett.
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson has confirmed that his captain and right-hand man, Scott Barrett, has recovered from a finger injury and will travel to South Africa for the two-Test tour.
Robertson’s men were without their leader for the first two rounds of the Rugby Championship as he was ruled out with the injury. Barrett would have been happy to see his team bounce back from defeat with a resounding 42-10 win over Argentina on Saturday.
“Big body”
The coach underlined the importance of the captain and is excited to have him back in the mix.
“He’ll strap the pinky up and go at it,” Robertson told reporters in Auckland.
“Look, he’s important. He’s a big body and that is what you need over there. It’ll be good to have him back on the field.”
Barrett may be back but there are question marks over Patrick Tuipulotu (calf), Luke Jacobson (hamstring) and Ethan de Groot (neck).
Massive tour ahead
Regardless, the All Blacks boss is looking forward to the tour which begins with a Test in Johannesburg on August 31 before a clash in Cape Town on September 7.
“We get a wee break, get excited about the next challenge,” said Robertson.
“These Test tours don’t come around that often, especially the Jo’burg, Cape Town combo.
“It’s always good to get on tour, with a bit of an old school feel around it.”
New Zealand are in the second spot on the Rugby Championship table with five points, behind the Springboks who come off two bonus-point wins in Australia despite having heavily rotated their side for the Perth Test.
It is likely that the next two rounds of the competition will be decisive in the race to the 2024 title as the All Blacks look to defend their trophy yet again.
