NEW ZEALAND’S bid to win the Rugby World Cup on home soil has suffered a double injury setback after Colin Slade and Mils Muliaina were both ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
The All Blacks have called up Bath’s new recruit Stephen Donald, who was out fishing for whitebait when he received the call, and wing Hosea Gear.
Slade had become first-choice outhalf after the All Blacks lost Dan Carter but suffered a groin tear in Sunday’s 33-10 quarter-final victory over Argentina.
Muliaina fractured his shoulder and failed to reappear at half-time in what was his 100th – and now last – Test appearance for the All Blacks.
“They are very disappointed to be leaving the group at this stage of the tournament. It’s a difficult situation,” said Henry. “Hosea Gear and Stephen Donald join the team tomorrow morning.
“The reason why they’re joining the team tomorrow morning is so that we can say goodbye to these guys correctly.”
The All Blacks campaign has been beset by injuries, with star Carter ruled out with a groin tear and captain Richie McCaw playing through a foot problem.
New Zealand doctor Debs Robinson believes the injuries are down to the players’ workload, with the World Cup following hot on the heels of an extended Super Rugby season and the Tri-Nations.
“It’s a big tournament. The guys have played five weeks in a row now. It’s incredibly competitive,” said Robinson.
Cruden has leapt from being outside of the World Cup squad to being the All Blacks’ first-choice outhalf a week before their crunch semi-final against Australia.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a confident introduction against the Pumas when Slade was hauled off injured. “Just keeping Aaron Cruden off his skateboard has been the major thing,” said Henry.
“Last week he was skateboarding around Palmerston North, having a couple of beers and watching us play. Now he’s the number one 10 in the country.
“It’s a big change and a major challenge for him, but I thought he handled the situation particularly well at the weekend when he went on.”
Henry revealed the strapping on Cruden’s knee was to cover a graze he suffered when coming off his surfboard.
The All Blacks should have first-choice fullback Israel Dagg and wing Richard Kahui available for the Wallabies showdown in Auckland on Saturday.
New Zealand maintained top spot in the latest IRB world rankings, though the gap to second place narrowed. South Africa slipped down one spot on Monday, with their conquerors Australia taking over second spot.
Wales moved up to fourth after the 22-10 victory over Ireland and Warren Gatland’s side now stand at the top of the Northern Hemisphere pile, just ahead of semi-final opponents France.
France rose three places to fifth after beating England 19-12 at Eden Park, with Ireland dropping two places to seventh and England falling two to fifth position.
