Rugby: All Blacks star Ardie Savea to miss third Bledisloe Cup matchup against Wallabies

By RugbyPass.com

Following the birth of their second child, All Blacks No.8 Ardie Savea has stayed in New Zealand while the rest of the team traveled to Australia in preparation for the Bledisloe Cup clash next weekend.

Savea has started the two All Blacks tryouts at the back of the scrum, alongside Sam Cane and Shannon Frizell, and will miss the next match, opening the door for a rookie to fill their boots for the match.

Blues No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu came off the bench in the previous two games and is shaping up to be the likely first choice to partner Cane and Frizell, but head coach Ian Foster has revealed that Sotutu’s inclusion is not an open and close case. .

“He has done the job we have given him very well,” Foster said before the All Blacks left for Australia this morning.

“So I guess now we have to go back and take a look and say, well, do we keep him in that role or do we change a few things?”

The All Blacks team is loaded with loose forwards. In addition to the foursome that has been used against the Wallabies, Foster also has open flanks Dalton Papalii and Du’Plessis Kirifi, as well as utilities Akira Ioane and Cullen Grace to choose from.

Papalii is the most experienced of them all and his inclusion could lead Captain Cane to No. 8, while Kirifi is the most recent addition to the team and will likely spend the next few weeks holding tackle bags as he gets used to the All Blacks environment. .

However, if Foster wants to keep things consistent, Ioane or Grace will appeal as more alike replacements. They both appeared and scored tries for their provincial teams on Saturday, with Ioane’s Auckland falling to North Harbor and Grace’s Canterbury getting really smashed by Bay of Plenty.

“I thought Akira was good yesterday and he has been training well,” Foster said of Ioane. “We were also impressed by Cullen [Grace] and the quiet work you’re doing. So we have some good options. “

Grace, 20, with just a handful of caps, has been regularly released by the All Blacks this season to earn more minutes with Canterbury and would be a surprise inclusion ahead of Sotutu or Ioane.

Sotutu’s coming of age with the Blues this season has also been recognized by Captain Cane.

“It was fantastic, I really enjoyed meeting ‘Hos’,” said Cane. “He’s a very laid back and casual character, but just from the conversations and little talks we’ve had, I think he sees the game very clearly.

“Obviously he’s a pretty special athlete who had an exceptional Super Rugby Aotearoa so if he gets the chance I’m sure he’ll take it.”

Meanwhile, props Nepo Laulala and Joe Moody could miss out on this weekend’s game. Laulala’s partner is due to give birth, which has prevented the new Blues signing from traveling to Australia thus far, while Moody is still recovering from the blow to the head he suffered against the Wallabies last weekend.

If the All Blacks get a win on Saturday, they will be able to reserve the Bledisloe Cup for another summer. However, a victory for the hosts would keep the series alive for one more game.

This article first appeared on RugbyPass.com and is republished with permission.