Super Rugby Pacific: Blues take aim at head knock cheating ‘insinuations’

Beauden Barrett finished the match against the Hurricanes at halfback for the Blues. Photo / Photosport

Vern Cotter is intent on setting the record straight after the controversial finish to the Blues’ first victory of the Super Rugby Pacific season against the Hurricanes in Wellington last week.

The Blues finished their 33-29 win over the Hurricanes under a cloud of controversy after an injury to Sam Nock forced a late backline reshuffle that pushed Beauden Barrett into acting halfback to close out the game. The nature of Nock’s injury has since sparked widespread debate.

At the time it appeared, Nock injured his leg but the Blues remain adamant he suffered a head knock, which would have allowed starting halfback Finlay Christie to return to the field in his absence. After the incident was reviewed by officials, they could not find any evidence of Nock qualifying for an HIA replacement.

Nock has since recovered and will come off the bench for the Blues, as they welcome the Brumbies to Eden Park on Friday night, but Cotter is frustrated with suggestions his team attempted to manipulate or cheat the replacement system.

“First and foremost, rugby doesn’t need insinuations that have come out following the incident. People need to research information really clearly before they start making them,” Cotter said.

“It was a head knock. Our doctor saw the knock and felt he couldn’t stay on the field. We still had someone on the bench but we had to go through the process with the doctor. It was player safety first. It was a genuine incident.”

Cotter indicated the Blues had since received clarity from the Super Rugby commission that Nock did, in fact, suffer a head knock.

“It’s been outlined clearly through the commission since. There were questions around the integrity of our doctor, which is upsetting, so there was some straight talking following that.

“We [Blues coaches] were communicated with that there was a head knock and through a head knock or foul play you can replace a player. Was it foul play, was it a head knock, our doctor estimated it was a head knock and then they had to go through the process.

“When they reviewed the footage people changed their mind.”

Asked whether he was annoyed with the fallout, Cotter said. “This Super competition doesn’t need it.”

After a slow start — successive losses to the Chiefs and Highlanders — the Blues will attempt to overcome their hefty casualty ward that includes All Blacks Dalton Papali’i, Stephen Perofeta and Sam Darry and Hoskins Sotutu’s three-week suspension to maintain momentum against the Brumbies.

At this early stage, though, the defending champions have everything to prove in their sluggish title defence.

Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010, and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.