Crusaders and Blues suffering with players fitness issues
Injuries to Blues first five Luke McAlister and Crusaders wing Zac Guildford have taken the spark away from Super Rugby. The anticipating build up of the next round match has suffered a downfall due to the absence of two major players from the fixture taking
place on Saturday at Eden Park.
Zac Guildford got injured on Friday’s warm up match against Highlanders and picked up a hamstring injury. He won’t be able to play any match till the round-three fixture against Waratahs due to the injury he picked in Oamaru.
Todd Blackadder, the head coach for Crusaders said, “He could be out for at least a couple of weeks with the hamstring injury. It's a recurring hamstring. He did it about a month ago. It had just come right and now he's done it again. It's just one of those
things.”
When Blackadder was asked, if his squad stepped into the battle undercooked, he was buoyant despite the setback, prior to the round one match against their rivals.
The Blues have assembled their toughest possible squad at their two previous preseason games, against Chiefs and Hurricanes. Blues summoned most of their All Blacks into their camp in the current season. The Friday’s victory was the debut triumph for many
Crusaders’ All Blacks. Crusaders won their preseason match by 40-21.
Blackadder added, “I thought our guys presented themselves really well. When they came back and did their fitness tests they looked to be really fit and mentally strong. For the guys who play at the highest level all of the time it's more mental than anything
else. While they showed signs of a little rustiness on Friday, the continuity and understanding of their roles they did really well in.”
Blackadder believes that his team isn’t underdone and he admits that his team knows what is required now and they will improve in next game.
Blackadder said that he is happy with the performance but he will be concentrating more on the negative points of the game. He wants his team to be in perfect shape before the tournament kick offs.
Despite the fact McAlister has been ruled out Blackadder believes his team can pull off major victories. McAlister visited Doctor Stephen Lara and is still under stress and pain. He will surely be missing initial matches.
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