All Blacks to rest four players from upcoming clash against Springboks - Rugby News
All Blacks are going to rest four key players from the forthcoming clash against the Springboks in the ongoing Tri-Nations Cup 2011. The All Blacks assistant coach, Wayne Smith, told reporters on July 25 that they will rest four major players from their
lineup for the Tri-Nations opener. Revealing the names of the players, he said that Brad Thorne, Owen Franks Keven Mealamu and Kieran Read will be benched for their fitness problems.
Smith further said that the players have been rested to obtain better results in the future matches. He said that the exhausting season of Super Rugby has affected the player’s fitness and they must be rested before the Rugby World Cup 2011. Furthermore,
the Springboks have been exploited by the Wallabies in their first match of the championship as the Australians hammered a through a huge victory by an enormous ease.
The Springboks have sent a comparatively inexperienced side to the tournament as their number of key players sustained various injuries in the Super Rugby. The South African selectors rested as many as 23 players from the first two games of the Tri-Nations
Cup.
Smith told the media that it was the game plan to rest these players for the upcoming matches. He further said that, “We're just sticking to the plans that we've got. So every player is on an individual plan and some are champing
at the bit to get out and play, some are a wee bit overcooked ... so we're just sticking to that, making sure that we look after people. Our experience is that you're better to put the ones that are champing at the bit out there.”
Talking about the inexperienced team of the Springboks, Smith said that, “The Springboks have made a choice to rest a big group of players. We're making individual choices on who's ready to play this week to win the Test match and
we're sticking to that.”
The All Blacks will take on the South Africans on July 30 in Wellington in their first match of the Tri-Nations Cup 2011.
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