Tuesday’s rugby news has Folau staying put, Kepu happy with scrums, Conrad Smith out for the All Blacks and injury concerns for England.
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Folau Staying Put
Israel Folau admits he is missing the buzz of origin but also enjoying his time in rugby. There has been much speculation about Folau’s future recently but he insists that he is focused on the Wallabies and Waratahs until his contract ends after next year’s World Cup.
“I miss it a little bit to be honest but in saying that I’m pretty grateful that I’ve been there before and I’m enjoying being where I am right now in my career,” Folau said.
“There’s a lot of options that are going to be presented and when that time comes I’ll have a look at everything and see what I do from there,”
“I’m signed to the [Waratahs] til next year so that’s all I’m thinking about.”[/one_half]
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Kepu Happy with Scrums
Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu believes the Australian scrum is looking promising. The scrum has been an area of concern for the Wallabies in recent times but after contesting well with the French scrum, Kepu believes it’s heading in the right direction.
“The Australian scrum has always been talked about. It’s always been frowned upon and I think we’ve just got to take it by the balls so to speak,” Kepu said.
“Just have that attitude to take guys head on and just not take a backward step. We’re in a good space and you can’t get complacent that’s the thing. You can’t think you’re good enough or else you’re just going to fall behind.
“As a pack we needed to get that respect. It was a good effort [on Saturday night]. I thought we muscled up and fronted up quite well and we’re moving in the right direction.”[/one_half]
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Conrad Smith Out
All Blacks centre Conrad Smith has been ruled out for up to six weeks with a fractured thumb. He will miss the final Test against England and is likely to miss the remainder of the Super Rugby season.
Ryan Crotty, Malakai Fekitoa or Ben Smith are the likely candidates to assume the midfield position for the final test match however the injury is particularly worrying for the Hurricanes who are sitting in third position in the New Zealand conference. Smith’s injury could be the difference between making the finals and missing out for the ‘Canes. [/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”]
England Injury Update
England flyhalf Owen Farrell is in doubt for the final Test against the All Blacks this weekend. Farrell did not play the first Test at Eden Park but he is believed to have sustained knee ligament damage in England’s loss to the All Blacks in Dunedin.
Centres Luther Burrell and Billy Twelvetrees are also in doubt as they are both suffering from ankle injuries. If they are declared unfit it would mean a major backline reshuffle for England’s final match against the All Blacks in Hamilton.[/one_half]
