Beauden Barrett fails HIA on the sideline. Photo / Photosport
Beauden Barrett fails HIA on the sideline. Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks will spin the selection wheel this week partly because they were always going to but more so because injury has once again hit them hard and left them short of choice.
So standby for Shannon Frizell, the largely unknown and untried blindside from the Highlanders, to makehis debut.
The 24-year-old, who had only started in three Super Rugby games when he was named in the squad in mid-May, is likely to start as he's probably going to be the only fit No 6 in the squad.
Vaea Fifita is battling concussion symptoms that haven't ruled him out, but make him at this stage unlikely to be available.
Liam Squire damaged his shoulder in the first minutes of the test in Wellington and again, while he hasn't been scratched, the expectation is that he won't recover in time leaving Frizell as the only option.
The picture is similar at first-five where Beauden Barrett, who failed his Head Injury Assessment after the now infamous red card incident involving French fullback Benjamin Fall, and reported not feeling well on Sunday morning.
Shannon Frizell. Photo / Photosport
As a result, he hasn't travelled with the team to Dunedin but may head South if he feels better on Monday. He may even yet be available if he can pass the return to play protocols but in all probability, he won't be risked, paving the way for one of Damian McKenzie or Richie Mo'unga to start.
"Beaudy has still got concussion symptoms so at this stage he won't be travelling down to Dunedin," said All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
"With the concussion thing we will wait and see there is no point in putting him under the extra pressure of the travel. He can stay at home and rest and come down tomorrow or not come down at all.
"We won't take any risks with him it is a long season. You have just got to weigh up the risks and rewards and even if he is 100 per cent but there is still some grey area there, we won't use him.
"That has been the case with most of the head injuries that we have had."
There will be other enforced changes to the 23 as Nathan Harris has returned home to be at the birth of his child, paving the way for Liam Coltman to come on to the bench.
Sonny Bill Williams, having been able to train last week, will be available and likely to return at second-five and Hansen also hinted that there may be some changes made that are not injury-related.
His hand was up to making a mistake in asking a group of under cooked forwards such as Joe Moody, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane and Liam Squire to back up after the first test.
"The more I think about it the more I think we probably did stuff that up yeah," said Hansen.
"You are asking guys who have not played for a long time to double up and they are still not getting over the first one. To use the race horse analogy…hard run the first time and then bring them back for the second race too early they usually go no good. So that is part of it."
All Black Vaea Fifita. Photo / Photosport
Cane looked a little off the pace and played with a touch of frustration which is not his usual style at all and may have been a reflection that he was short of energy.
That suggests either Ardie Savea or Matt Todd will start at openside this week and there could yet be one more surprise with the called up Highlanders lock-cum-blindside Jackson Hemopo a strong possibility to be on the bench.
"When he first really came to prominence was in the game against the Lions last year. He's got a hard-nosed attitude, he's a good athlete and he can play lock and we think he can play six as well which makes him a valuable option if you want to put him on the bench," said Hansen.
"He's well and truly worthy of being selected. We won't be conservative. This year we have to establish more depth and we have to establish and bed down the new stuff we want to implement and to so that we are going to have to take some risks.
"We have to weigh up the risks versus the rewards and we have won the series so what is the biggest risk now? We lose the test match. The biggest reward is that we don't lose the test match and we give a whole group of players opportunities to prove they are good enough."
