Steve Hansen gives Crusaders a break from All Blacks – Rugby Union news
Steve Hansen, the assistant coach of New Zealand, has announced a break for Crusaders' players in the All Blacks squad during the Tri-Nations series, before they can march into the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2011. The interval is intended to help the players
recover from the Super Rugby tournament and the recent traumatic episode of earth quakes in Canterbury.
New Zealand teams have held the Super Rugby title for seven years but this season was a heart break as the New Zealand derby, Crusaders, were defeated in the final clash against the Queensland Reds. The Crusaders had to deal with extensive travelling, which
took the squad to South Africa twice and once to London, and the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes during their campaign.
The policy of giving the Crusaders a break will be observed by the All Blacks as they meet South Africa on July 30 for the Tri Nations in Wellington. While speaking about th matter, Hansen said, “All the individuals and have put a clear plan in place that
we believe will have them in A1 shape for the biggest event of the year - the World Cup.”
However, this exemption has been extended to some of the players within the squad including Kieran Read, the flanker whereas the captain, Richie McCaw will proceed into the Tri-Nations Series and then into the RWC 2011 without taking any breaks. McCaw has
been playing well and has not faced any injuries during the Super Rugby season therefore he will continue to play during the Tri-Nations.
Hansen revealed that the Super 15 tournament had been a tough season. The situation was blown out of proportion when it was coupled with the “emotional toll of not having a fixed home and having to travel all the time, and the emotional effect of having
earthquakes regularly up there”
Factoring in the physical along with the emotional set back faced by the Crusaders, the All Black management felt that they need to take a break to reconcile and perform well in the upcoming matches of the RWC 2011, in September.
However, it was further clarified that people who are not part of the Tri-Nations may have an opportunity to be part of it towards the end of the tournament. Hansen has also confirmed that players will be missing out on matches scheduled during the month
of August in Durban and Brisbane on August14 and 27 respectively and explained, “They've probably done enough travelling. Someone like Richie [McCaw], who's been injured for a lot of the tournament, probably needs to play and will play. That's where we've
got to be smart.”
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