Tri-Nations
NZ victory came at a cost
2010-07-11 21:50
Richard Kahui (Gallo Images)
|
Adnaan MohamedWellington – The All Blacks convincing 32-12 victory over the Springboks at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday has come at a cost.
Scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan (abdominal strain), wing Joe Rokocoko (hamstring) and centre Richard Kahui (shoulder) could possibly miss next Saturday’s second Tri-Nations fixture at the Westpac stadium in Wellington.
Replacement centre Kahui’s shoulder problem is the most serious, and he’s set to be off for an extended period.
Cowan and Rokocoko’s injuries could rule them out for their next clash against the Springboks.
“He’s had them in the past and it doesn’t sound good,” said All Black coach Graham Henry of Kahui on Sunday.
“We’ll know more after a scan tomorrow.”
Blues scrumhalf Alby Mathewson and Hurricanes wing Hosea Gear are the likely replacements if Cowan and Rokocoko are ruled out.
The All Black coach expects a massive Springbok backlash when the arch enemies meet again on Saturday.
“The Boks will be hurting,” said Henry
“They are a strong side who are well coached and it will show this week.
“We expected to play well, 32-12 was a bit of a 'wow' and we were surprised by the magnitude of the result, but I am sure things will be more realistic this week,” he said of the Tri-Nations champions.
“The expectation from the coaches was that they were going to play well. The scoreline got blown out of proportion from our point of view. We were a bit surprised at the score but we thought we played well.”