Captain18,570 posts
28 Sept 2014, 13:14
#1
28 Sept 2014, 13:14#1
The All Blacks may have another issue at lock with the impressive Brodie Retallick looking to have suffered a concussion against Argentina in La Plata. The Chiefs lock, and encumbent All Blacks hard-man, left the field in the 53rd minute after suffereing a knock on the head. There was also an eye on prop Wyatt Crockett's injury which looks unlikely to rule him out of the Springboks Test at Ellis park in a weeks time, but All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was less confident about Retallick. Hansen was satisfied with what he calls a workmanlike win over Argentina as he eyes a step up against the Springboks. New Zealand retained their unbeaten record in the Rugby Championship with a 34-13 victory at La Plata, clinching a third successive title regardless of the result of Saturday's final Test in Johannesburg. "Pretty good - good enough to get the job done, anyway," was Hansen's immediate reaction to a performance in which they were never seriously threatened. The title was secured when they scored a fourth bonus point try through reserve halfback TJ Perenara 15 minutes from fulltime. However, Hansen says a bonus point wasn't on their mind from the outset. "You go in there with the attitude you're going to score four tries, then you're going in with the wrong attitude. "These guys are better than that, the Pumas. First and foremost, we went in respecting them and to play our own game, and if that was good enough for four tries, that would be good." Hansen was pleased with how his team scrambled out of trouble several times against a Pumas side he says are becoming adept at building pressure. He was also happy to hand debut hooker Nathan Harris his first nine minutes of Test rugby off the reserves bench, replacing veteran Keven Mealamu. Beauden Barrett once again made the most of a key chance to impress in the All Blacks' number ten jersey. The Hurricanes pivot was handed the number ten jersey after incumbent flyhalf Aaron Cruden missed the team's flight overseas. Hansen said they couldn't have asked for more from Barrett who kicked 14 points at 100 percent. "I thought he controlled the game really well, he played nice and flat and he got the ball through his hands when he needed to and his kicking game was good. "He silences all those people that believed he can't goal kick." NZN & Yahoo NZ
