McCAW and JANE OUT!!!!

***DAMMIT. I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HOW JANE GOES!!***

Injuries continue to haunt veteran All Blacks Richie McCaw and Cory Jane, who have both been ruled out of the third Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia in Dunedin on Saturday.

Captain McCaw won't play his 121st Test and world record 32nd against the Wallabies after pulling up with a tight calf muscle late in training on Thursday.

He has been replaced by openside flanker Sam Cane, with Steven Luatua coming onto the reserve bench.

Keiran Read takes over the captaincy, resuming that role after leading New Zealand in five of their nine Tests this year.

Jane suffered a hamstring injury and is replaced on the right wing by Charles Piutau, who will make his first Test start after not being named on the bench initially.

It is a disappointing outcome for Jane, 30, who was poised to make his return to Test rugby following eight months of recuperation from a knee reconstruction.

McCaw, 32, has also been troubled by injury since returning from his six-month break from rugby.

After two reserve bench appearances for the Crusaders in Super Rugby, he has played just four Tests. He was unavailable for the June series against France, then a knee injury ruled him out of Tests against South Africa in Auckland and Argentina in La Plata.

It is understood 43-Test veteran Jane also suffered his injury at the Thursday training session.

His absence has the potential to be disruptive to an All Blacks backline already missing injured first five-eighth Dan Carter and centre Conrad Smith, who has begun a four-month break from rugby.

Piutau played every minute of the Blues' 16 Super Rugby games this year at fullback.

He has looked sharp coming off the bench in six Tests, including his debut against France in New Plymouth.

Coach Steve Hansen was to clarify the status of both injured players at a media session on Friday afternoon.

Hansen will announce a 36-strong squad on Sunday to play Tests in Japan and Europe in November.

All Blacks: Israel Dagg, Charles Piutau, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Julian Savea, Aaron Cruden, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read (capt), Sam Cane, Liam Messam, Sam Whitelock, Jeremy Thrush, Charlie Faumuina, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Dane Coles, Wyatt Crockett, Ben Franks, Brodie Retallick, Steven Luatua, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Beauden Barrett, Tom Taylor

boklogic

If there is one certainty in rugby - it is that the older players become - the more likely it is that they get injured and the longer it takes for them to recover.   McCaw is 32 and shows the same tendency and Jane at 30 is also an example.

Take for instance the case of McCaw.   He went on his sabbatical and came back - being  well above his normal playing weight and played in two tests - where he did show that his main attribute was donation of penalties to the Wallabies.  He got injured in the third test.   Was it the effect of the sabbatical or was age a factor?   What is clear that his age and apparent lack of prime match fitness was a sure recipe for injury.   He came back for the Ellis Park test - but this time around he missed tackles like it was unbelievable - despite the AB supporters protestations to the contrary.   Was he really ready to play after his sabbatical and his previous injury?   I really don't think so - but the latest injury most likely has more to do with age than anything else.

I always rated Jane is a top wing - but he is also on the wrong side of 30 and he was out with an injury for nearly a year.   Come back and even before his first match - another injury problem.   Is it again the result of the effects of what I referred to in the first paragraph above?  Most likely - so we will have to wait and see what happens in future.

 Just_win

Have no problem with the team - rather with the injury of older players issue - and that is a problem we have to face in all teams throughout the world.  I am a great admirer of cane in any event.

OPINION: Take a chill pill, people. Steve Hansen's got this, and there can be no doubt that he knows what he's doing.

Ben Smith at centre, Cory Jane back off just a game and a bit to start on the right wing and Jeremy Thrush getting a deserved shot in the second row . . . these are all good things for All Blacks rugby.

There are no negatives when you're 9-0 for the year, you've swept France without breaking a sweat, sashayed through a second straight Rugby Championship without dropping a test and just won the game of the decade at Ellis Park when you had every excuse not to.

In fact, the only thing more impressive than the All Blacks' form at the moment, is their unprecedented depth. And that's just about to get even better.

The longer this dream run of the All Blacks under Hansen continues, seemingly the more depth they are building. There's a lot to be said right now for the theory that the only team capable of beating New Zealand is New Zealand.

Since Hansen took the reins following the epic, but painstaking, World Cup victory on Eden Park, the All Blacks have won 21 of their 23 test matches, with the 18-18 draw in Brisbane last year and the season-ending defeat to England at Twickenham the only blots on the copybook.

That's some record.

But even more remarkable are the options now available to the big cheese at the selection table.

Dan Carter goes down, Richie McCaw too. No biggie. Jane misses the entire year till now. So? Even old reliable Owen Franks tweaks a groin and up steps the next option.

Life goes on, and so does the test win tally.

This is the All Blacks circa 2013, where no player is irreplaceable - well, maybe Kieran Read, but we won't go there - and where the show rolls on seemingly regardless of the personnel.

Work through the All Blacks and there's not many, if any, positions where you wouldn't feel comfortable with option No 2 stepping up. At hooker there's still a reliance on a couple of old soldiers, but, geez, they're still so good it's stretching it to call it a problem position.

Wyatt Crockett is a perfectly able deputy on the loosehead, and at tighthead they're queuing up for a chance. At lock, once Luke Romano and Dom Bird are fit again, the cupboard's full; and in the loose, well, let's just say the emergence of Sam Cane and return of Jerome Kaino create an embarrassment of riches.

Same at halfback, same at five eighth. And same in the back three where unless you're world class you can forget about getting near an All Blacks squad. A fit-again Jane is going to leave some big calls to be made next year.

Midfield is probably the only truly skinny area, but, hey, that's where this week comes in. Suddenly Ben Smith becomes a viable option and then suddenly things aren't so bad. All we need is Francis Saili to continue his progression and Sonny Bill Williams to return and in a flash that too becomes a logjam of possibilities.

That's why it's hard to understand why people are questioning the decision to move Ben Smith from the right wing, where he's been the best back of the Rugby Championship, and risk undermining his confidence, form and momentum.

Are you kidding? The kid is playing so well he'll probably have a blinder on Saturday night, solve one problem and maybe two if Jane makes any sort of a successful return from his spell out with injury. If not, well at least we know Smith's a heck of a right winger.

Is there a downside to developing depth through this squad? None whatsoever.

Especially when you can keep winning, the way Hansen has managed to do since he took charge of this remarkable team.

So what should we expect Saturday night?

A remarkable world record-equalling 30th successive victory on home soil? Goodness gracious that would be a pretty special number.

But I believe All Blacks fans are perfectly entitled to expect a continuation of their winning way. This is a team that should make short work of the fallible Wallabies if their minds are anywhere near on the job.

After last year, surely they don't slip on the same banana skin. Fool me once, and all that.

I truly believe the perfect test year - never attained in the professional era - is a goal this group is motivated to cross off. That will require a top tour, but that's well within the reach of these guys.

It's the sort of task a team with ambitions of becoming the first to go back-to-back in World Cups, the first All Blacks side ever to win the Cup on foreign soil, should lap up and ask: "What's next?"

We set very high standards for this group of men. Almost unreasonably so. But the most remarkable thing of all is that they continue to meet them.

- © Fairfax NZ News

Ouch, poor ol' wobblies, lol Maybe you will wake up Redsman.

But, I never have been able to figure out if Redsman was for the wobblies only that he is against the ABs.

 McCheat obviously surrendering to the FACT hes just old now and Hooper would have OWNED him again and again... RE Jane was always big ask for the tranny looking character from wellington - him and Nonu might be having a lovers tiff....

Anyway what does Rene Ranger have to do to get into the AIGs clearly one of the best backs in the whole rugby world... maybe he disagrees with the AIGs policy of paying the refs kickbacks....

Not holding too much hope out for Wobs as depth sorely tested and big travel schedule in the last 4weeks...

Hoping QC has a breakthrough game and Matty Toomua smaashed the the certified tranny nonu...