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All Blacks bring in McKenzie after Smith setback
By Dejan Kalinic
Chiefs full-back Damian McKenzie has been called up by New Zealand as cover for Ben Smith after the latter suffered another concussion on Saturday.
All Blacks vice-captain Smith left the field in the first half of his team's 30-15 win over the British and Irish Lions at Eden Park.
It marked the latest concussion setback for Smith, who came off 26 minutes into the first Test.
New Zealand confirmed via Twitter on Sunday that McKenzie had been called into the squad as cover.
McKenzie, who can also play at fly-half, has made just two Test appearances for the All Blacks.
New Zealand have also released Julian Savea, Jordie Barrett, Vaea Fifita and Ngani Laumape to play for the Hurricanes against the Lions on Tuesday.
The quartet played no part in the first Test, with the second match of the series to be held in Wellington on Saturday.
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Latest Comments
The prem games this season have mainly been great to watch , with the exception of Sale. So boring and predictable.
Let's have more of Bristol, Bath , Quins etc style of play.
Rugby needs expansive play to put more bums on seats . Not the dirge of rolling forward mauls constantly trying to bully their way over the line.
It has its place yes to draw the defence but the fans want to see more running rugby . Not win at any cost and sod the entertainment .
Go to commentsSo Borthwick should drop Marcus Smith? He's the odd one out, forcing the rest of the English backline into a gameplay they don't know. Replacing him with Fin or Ford makes everyone more likely to succeed.
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