Anxious All Blacks fans worried by the sight of Damian McKenzie leaving the field with a heavily strapped ankle need not fret.
Speaking after the All Blacks’ 54-0 rout of the Sharks in Durban this morning, coach Dave Rennie confirmed the sprained ankle McKenzie suffered was not expected to impact his availability for the test series.
Rennie says McKenzie just twisted his ankle when he came down with that high ball in the first minute, they had it strapped but it was just a little bit ginger.
He says they just decided to play it safe, so he is not too bad, they would expect him to be fine for the first Test.
If Rennie’s words don’t ease fears, the fact McKenzie didn’t look hindered by it on his way to scoring a try inside the corner flag should.
Having seen enough from his first choice fullback on a soggy night, and knowing a limited Sharks side were of no real threat, Rennie pulled McKenzie and replaced him with Emoni Narawa in the 33rd minute.
McKenzie’s positive prognosis spares Rennie a further headache.
He and fellow selectors Sir Graham Henry and Neil Barnes are yet to decide on a replacement for Billy Proctor, who was last week ruled out for remainder of the South African tour with a shoulder injury.
The All Blacks will face the Vodacom Bulls this Saturday at 5am.
Source: stuff.co.nz
