All Blacks scrum-half Piri Weepu played Rugby World Cup final with groin injury
All Blacks veteran player, Piri Weepu, has disclosed the fact that he got himself injured before the crucial Final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup against France on October 23 but ignored the pain for the sake of victory.
Weepu publicised the secret while talking to journalists on October 26, when he was asked about his unimpressive show in the championship deciding contest. He made number of errors in the grand final and missed as many as three opportunities to kick the pill into French goals.
Weepu told the media three days after securing the Webb Ellis Trophy that he was not at his best to participate in the match but finally he was left with no other choice due to already existing injuries to his side. At least three New Zealanders including Colin Slade, Dan Carter and Weepu were disrupted by the same injury during the RWC 2011. Dan Carter and Slade would need time to heal in time and were ruled out of championship.
However, the All Blacks coaches decided to go with the unfit Weepu in the biggest match of the global showpiece. Piri Weepu was questioned by the reporters for his rusty game during the hot battle which forced him to unveil the reality.
The 28-year-old scrum-half stated that, “I wasn't ready to come off. I had a tweak of my groin before the game started and I guess the coaches were only looking out for what was best for the team. If that means taking someone off because they're not 100 per cent, you're doing it for the team's cause and obviously it worked out.”
He further said that, “I had doubts in my mind that if I did kick the ball I'd definitely be pulling it and wouldn't be able to run around for the amount of time that I did.”
Earlier on, the skipper for the All Blacks, Richie McCaw, has also been told to play the match with a foot injury. Their coach paid great respect to McCaw for leading his team from the front despite having an injury. The coach also declared McCaw the best leader the All Blacks ever had.
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