The All Blacks face a growing crisis at scrum-half ahead of their Rugby Championship clash with the Springboks at Eden Park on Saturday.
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Head coach Scott Robertson is already without Cam Roigard, sidelined by a stress fracture in his right foot, and Noah Notham, who recently had surgery on a high ankle sprain.
Cortez Ratima, starter in both Tests against Argentina, fractured a rib in the defeat to Los Pumas and remains doubtful. Robertson said, “He’s going to go to the wire. We’re going to give him every opportunity. It’s pretty important.”
He added, “He obviously played and was sore after the game, but he’s tough. It’s the great thing about Cortez, he’ll give me the opportunity to play.”
Ratima could still make the bench if fit, with Finlay Christie in line to start.
Further concerns arose when Crusaders scrum-half Kyle Preston limped off training with an ankle issue on Tuesday, though an All Blacks spokesperson later clarified he was being assessed for a cut.
Assistant coach Scott Hansen noted Ratima’s resilience, saying, “Cortez is still training; he is under an injury cloud, we’re still keeping our eyes close on him. He’s a brave, young man.”
QUIZ: Can you name every All Blacks captain since 1987?
Over the years, many of the sport’s biggest legends have worn the black jersey—but who has had the honor of leading the team as captain in the modern era?
This quiz focuses on the All Blacks captains from 1987 to the present day. Test your knowledge and see how many you can name!
You have five minutes.
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