Senior New Zealand players Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor were ruled out of next week’s Test against Ireland because of head injuries suffered during their win over England.
Failed HIA assessments
Coach Scott Robertson said New Zealand medical staff deemed flyhalf Barrett and hooker Taylor will undergo a mandatory 12-day stand down period after failing head injury assessments and leaving the field during Saturday’s tense 24-22 defeat of the English at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
Both 33-year-olds will miss Friday’s Test against world No 1-ranked Ireland in Dublin, but Robertson said they would come into contention for the following week’s match against France in Paris, confirming they would be allowed to train in the week leading up.
Taylor was forced from the field in the sixth minute at Twickenham, with replacement Asafo Aumua playing the rest of the match.
Barrett departed in the second half after an influential display, including two conversions and a slick try assist to fullback Will Jordan.
Robertson conceded both players – who share 226 Test caps between them – would be “missed” in Dublin.
It will be the teams’ first meeting since the All Blacks beat Ireland in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Paris a year ago.
“Codie’s a world class hooker, among the best two or three in the world, and in great form,” Robertson told New Zealand media in a Zoom call on Sunday.
“Beauden was conducting the game pretty well, we thought, until the bang.
“They’ll be missed obviously but they’ll be around giving their wisdom and preparing the rest of the players.”
Match-winning conversion
Damian McKenzie is likely to be reinstated as flyhalf, having come off the reserve bench to land the match-winning conversion at Twickenham.
Mercurial playmaker McKenzie started the first eight Tests of Robertson’s tenure but was moved to the bench for New Zealand’s final Rugby Championship Test against Australia in Wellington last month, with the more composed Barrett favoured.
Robertson said he had no concern returning “the keys” to McKenzie and said Aumua had “came of age” in his Twickenham display.
“He’s pretty laid back, D-Mac (McKenzie), he’ll take whatever role is required. He’s had the keys for a period of time and he’s got them back in his hands now,” Robertson said.
“Asafo, it was a great moment for him. He’d worked really hard to make sure that when he got an opportunity like that, he took it.”
Robertson will call versatile backs Ruben Love and Harry Plummer into the New Zealand squad as injury cover, along with a yet-to-be-named hooker.
Ireland or the All Blacks: Who wins their blockbuster Test?
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