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All Blacks centre David Havili to miss Rugby Championship
By AAP
New Zealand centre David Havili is expected to be sidelined for the entire Rugby Championship after suffering a serious hamstring injury in Super Rugby Pacific.
Havili limped off in the Crusaders' 42-18 home win over the NSW Waratahs last weekend and will likely need two months to recover, his club said.
The All Blacks start their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina on July 8 before hosting South Africa the following week.
They play Australia at the MCG on July 29.
Havili's Crusaders teammate Cullen Grace, a one-Test loose forward, has been ruled out of the rest of the Super Rugby season after suffering a dislocated knee-cap.
"Both are out for the Super campaign, unfortunately," Crusaders coach Scott Robertson told New Zealand media on Thursday.
"Really disappointed for them. They're such big contributors to our team and really important parts of it."
With one more regular-season round before the playoffs, the second-placed Crusaders have already lost All Blacks props Fletcher Newell, Joe Moody and George Bower, as well as winger Sevu Reece, for the rest of the campaign.
The defending champions play the Hurricanes away on Saturday, having already booked their place in the top four to secure home advantage in the quarter-finals.
The Crusaders are looking to stretch their Super Rugby dynasty to a seventh successive year under departing coach Robertson, who will take over the All Blacks after the World Cup in France.
Robertson's eventual successor will face a challenge to regenerate the South Island side who stand to lose a number of champion players after the World Cup.
Former captain and veteran All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock confirmed on Thursday a move to French club Pau where he will reunite with his younger brother and loose forward Luke.
All Blacks five-eighth Richie Mo'unga is also leaving the Crusaders and will play in Japan next season.
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Latest Comments
"It wasn’t bad enough probably for me to go down in the way that I did"
Isn't that the definition of taking a dive?
No complaints from me there was foul play and a yellow card for Mitchell was a fair call from the ref but he shouldn't be saying i didn't dive and then contradicting himself like that
Go to commentsRefs make mistakes and they make 50/50 decisions that people don't like. Everyone knows that. And if we're aiming for a world in which people can't discuss those decisions then we're being idiotic.
But there is a big difference between questioning a decision and questioning the integrity of a referee. I don't mind a player or coach saying that they disagree with a Busby decision about Barrett, for example. In fact I am fine if they want to go and produce a tape and a commentary about it. Refs are in the public eye just as much as players are, and it's cool for people to analyze their performances IMV.
What's not OK is to say that they are biased, have hidden agendas, or intentionally favor certain teams or individuals. Nor is it great to call into question their competence, notwithstanding the obvious fact that some refs are more talented and/or experienced than others. Stick to discussing what they did, not who they are or what there intentions may be.
Also, while I think it should be fine (and not penalized) for a player or coach to disagree with certain decisions, I would observe that great teams don't blame "uncontrollables" for their losses and failures. As a player Hansen should treat refereeing the same as the bounce of the ball, the weather or injuries in the team. Uncontrollables are part of the challenge, regardless of how fair you think they are in any particular case.
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