New Zealand Delay Announcing Side
New Zealand rugby coach, Graham Henry, will delay announcing his side to play South Africa during the second Tri Nations match due to injury.
The Kiwis have been hit by a string of injuries, which have been picked up during the last match between the two countries and in training. It's clear that the coach wants to wait a little longer before naming his side to see if any key players can recover in time.
Richard Kahui and Jimmy Cowan are the two biggest names who are struggling to get fit for the second game although Henry admits that they both have a good chance of doing so.
Injuries can mean a chance for other players to come into the side and this can lead to a number of benefits. However, the coach would have hoped that his side could keep the moment going over the next few games after a string of impressive victories.
Injuries Mean Chances
If a player is struggling to get fit for a game and does not look as though he will do so then there is no point in risking him. The better option for the All Blacks would be to give a less experienced but hungry player a game.
This would mean that this young player coming into the side would be intent on making an impression during the game. Young players just want to play rugby and stay there once they break onto the international scene. If Henry opts for a younger player then it would be a chance they wouldn't be expecting and hence one they would try to make the most of.
Zac Guildford and Alby Mathewson are the two names who could be on the starting sheet for the second game with South Africa. They will be itching like everyone else to find out the starting fifteen for the second game.
Henry said: "While Richard's shoulder injury has ruled him out of this weekend's Test, we are postponing the announcement of the team until Thursday to give the medical staff more time to assess the fitness of the other players."
Momentum
Injuries are a threat to momentum and this is very important in all forms of rugby. The Kiwis have all of the momentum at the moment based on their results in the recent past. They have beaten Wales out of sight and they have just beaten South Africa when the Springboks thrashed them last year.
Injuries mean that the same side cannot stay together and this disrupts the momentum and makes it more difficult to keep an impressive run of results going.
However, there is no such thing as a bad New Zealand side and if there are changes to the starting team then it will still be a very good side. It would not be a surprise in the slightest to see this side go out and continue their current dominance in the sport. There is a good reason why the Kiwis are current favourites to win the World Cup and they will want to show this.
Betting Advice
All of the odds are with New Zealand and they are a very good bet with or without a couple of their key players. South Africa are going to come back hard and you need to keep this at the front of your mind.
Your best bet is probably to wait until the game has started and bet in play. This will allow you to see if the Kiwis are going to run away with it again or whether the Springboks have got their act together at the vital time.
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