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Jono Searle / Getty Images
Ardie Savea was again without a mouth guard in the All Blacks’ loss to the Wallabies in Brisbane last Saturday.
New Zealand Rugby says they are “incredibly disappointed” with All Blacks star Ardie Savea’s insistence not to wear a mouth guard, and acknowledge that they must take serious action against “repeat offenders”.
Things reported three weeks ago that NZ Rugby Professional Rugby and Performance General Manager Chris Lendrum was “aware of the issue and will resolve it with all of our players” after Savea could be seen with her upper teeth uncovered during testing of the Bledisloe Cup in Auckland, breaking the collective agreement of the NZ Rugby players.
While wearing a mouth guard is not part of World Rugby laws, they were made mandatory for those under 19 and under in New Zealand in 1997, then at the provincial level in 1998, and the law was introduced about 15 years ago. directive for all players. it is understood to aid player safety, protect against potential medical costs, and set a good example for junior players.
Jono Searle / Getty Images
Ardie Savea has a long history of not wearing a mouth guard.
After missing Test 3 against the Wallabies in Sydney due to paternity leave, Savea returned for the final second round Bledisloe / Tri Nations game in Brisbane last Saturday, and was arguably the best away player in their loss. by 24-22. But not adding a mouth guard to your repertoire has angered your employer.
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“I didn’t see it, but if that’s the case, then obviously it’s incredibly disappointing,” Lendrum said when asked. Things on the subject on Wednesday.
“We hope that our professional players set the standard and the role model for all of our players in the community and their whānau.
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NZ Rugby performance and professional rugby general manager Chris Lendrum said they would have to treat “very seriously” players who continue without wearing a mouth guard.
“If that’s the case, we’ll look into it, and we’ve obviously already raised this issue as of late with the All Blacks and with our Super Rugby teams and the Miter 10 Cup teams, so we’ll do it again, and we’ll have to do that’s pretty serious if we have repeat offenders. “
Savea is precisely that.
While a spokesperson for the All Blacks did not respond to Things iFollowing inquiries this week about whether Savea was the only player of theirs without a mouthguard, or about possible reasons why he didn’t wear one, the open-sided number 8 has a long history in this department.
After NZ Rugby in 2003 gave referees the authority to order players to leave the park to find a mouth guard if they were caught without one, Savea and his Wellington teammate Tomasi Palu were sent to do so by Nick Briant in a match against Canterbury in 2013.
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However, the All Blacks coach says he thinks Ofa Tuungafasi’s red card is moot.
Later, Savea said she was unaware that mouth guards were mandatory and promised to change a long-standing habit.
“I feel like I need to use one now,” he said.
“I know the referees are going to start applying it from now on, so I will put one on as soon as possible.
“That was bad of me. It’s good that they are cracking down and forcing players to wear one. He is not a good example for young players to follow ”.
The then 19-year-old said he had worn a mouth guard as a child and occasionally during the school game, but had stopped due to breathing difficulties.
“I’ll make one especially this week so that should help [with the breathing]. “
Phil Walter / Getty Images
Ardie Savea celebrates his try against the Wallabies at Eden Park last month.
Less than a month later, then-All Blacks coach Steve Hansen issued a stern directive to his players after Savea’s older brother Julian, Israel Dagg, Ben Smith and Ben Franks were photographed playing without one, and Dagg’s mouth was bloody during the test. against the Springboks in Johannesburg.
“They’d be dumb if they didn’t have mouth guards, as far as I’m concerned,” Hansen said.
“I didn’t put one on even once and ended up with 14 stitches in my mouth from putting my teeth through my lip, so I will recommend getting one.
“But you know how young men are. They do what they think is best for them. “
In 2016, Lendrum noted that “formal action” was a possibility against players who continued to break the rules, after Ardie Savea, Malakai Fekitoa, Ben Smith, Waisake Naholo, Dane Coles and Tawera Kerr-Barlow were seen without mouth guards. during the All Blacks. ‘against Wales, then a fortnight later Savea, Coles and Vaea Fifita were seen without them in the Super Rugby match of the Hurricanes against the Blues.
It remains to be seen if anything really changes now.
