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'Can you move your fingers? Your toes?': Barrett feared the worst after aerial cartwheel
By AAP
All Blacks flyhalf Beauden Barrett feared the worst after landing head-first from a terrible mid-air challenge against South Africa, but says the team will continue to be courageous under the Springboks' high ball.
Barrett was upended by South Africa winger Kurt-Lee Arendse while rising to intercept a box kick and crashed heavily to the turf late in the 26-10 defeat at Mbombela Stadium last Saturday.
Arendse was red-carded and subsequently suspended for four matches.
"It was quite a big collision and I did think the worst instantly - especially when I was on the ground and - I can't remember who it was - told me to stay still," he said in a video released by the All Blacks.
"It wasn't until (the doctor) came on and asked me, 'Can you move your fingers? Your toes?' I was relieved to have passed those tests. I eventually sat up and was able to walk off and get on with it.
"But there was a fearful period there for a minute or so where you do think of the worst. It's quite scary when you go over backwards and you find yourself come down on your head and shoulders."
Building pressure with high kicks has long been part of South Africa's gameplan but it left All Blacks staff with a sour taste in Mbombela.
Arendse also clattered into Barrett's fullback brother Jordie in a mid-air contest but did not draw a penalty, triggering a complaint about the officiating from All Blacks coach Ian Foster.
The teams meet in their second Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Barrett said the All Blacks must do more to protect their teammates under the high ball.
"It's something we expected from South Africa in terms of the high-ball collision and contest," he said.
"I don't think they'll change anything.
"We'll continue to be courageous and get up.
"Our escorters have to .... legally stop that chaser from running a good line and allowing that mid-air collision."
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Latest Comments
oh ok, seems strange you didn't put the limit at 7 given you said you thought 8 was too many!
Why did you say "I've told you twice already how I did it but your refuse to listen" when you had clearly not told me that you'd placed a limit of 8 teams per league?
"Agreed with 4 pool of 4 and home and away games?"
I understand the appeal of pools of 4, but 6 pool games might not go down well with the French or the South Africans given already cramped schedules. I do still think that you're right that that would be the best system, but there is going to be a real danger of French and SA sides sending b-teams which could really devalue the competition unless there is a way to incentivise performance, e.g. by allowing teams that do well one year to directly qualify for the next year's competition.
Go to commentsFoster should never have been appointed, and I never liked him as a coach, but the hysteria over his coaching and Sam Cane as a player was grounded in prejudice rather than fact.
The New Zealand Rugby public were blinded by their dislike of Foster to the point of idiocy.
Anything the All Blacks did that was good was attributed to Ryan and Schmidt and Fozzie had nothing to do with it.
Any losses were solely blamed on Foster and Cane.
Foster did develop new talent and kept all the main trophies except the World Cup.
His successor kept the core of his team as well as picking Cane despite him leaving for overseas because he saw the irreplaceable value in him.
Razor will take the ABs to the next level, I have full confidence in that.
He should have been appointed in 2020.
But he wasn’t. And the guy who was has never been treated fairly.
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