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A number of All Blacks released for club duty before departing for Argentina
By Online Editors
All Blacks midfielder Sonny Bill Williams has again been sidelined by injury a week after making his return at club rugby level.
Williams fronted for Ponsonby in their win against Grammar Tec last weekend after enduring another difficult, injury-disrupted Super Rugby season for the Blues which restricted him to three starts.
His final appearance against the Hurricanes in Wellington on June 15 came after a 10-week layoff following knee surgery.
The 33-year-old was expected to play for the side again this weekend, but has been ruled out due to a tight hamstring.
Williams was one of eight All Blacks who were released to play at club level if required this weekend.
New All Blacks loose forward Luke Jacobson will make his third appearance for Hautapu in as many weeks, looking to get more game time to his name after missing the end of the Chiefs' Super Rugby campaign due to a concussion.
Fellow Chief Brodie Retallick has also been released and will be available for Central Hawke's Bay this weekend.
Auckland will see a boost in All Blacks talent at the grassroots level this weekend, with Blues quintet Dalton Papalii (Pakuranga), Karl Tu'inukuafe (Takapuna), Ofa Tuungafasi (Grammar Tec), Patrick Tuipulotu (Ponsonby) and Rieko Ioane (Ponsonby) also released to their clubs.
The All Blacks squad will assemble again in Auckland on Tuesday afternoon for a camp before flying to Buenos Aires on Friday evening.
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and is republished with permission.
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I so wish we could use BIG words here to say what an absolute %^$# this guy is, but we can't so I won't.
Go to commentsGet world rugby to buy a few Islands in the Mediterranean. Name them Rugby Island #1, #2, #3 etc. All teams are based there all season and as the knockouts progress, losers go home for a few months rest. Sell the TV rights to any and all.
Have an open ballot/lottery each week to fly fans out to fill the stadiums. They get to enter the draw if they pay their taxes and avoid crime which would encourage good social engagement from rugby supporters as responsible citizens. The school kids get in the draw if they are applying themselves at school and reaching their potential.
Or maybe there is some magic way to prioritise both domestic rugby and international rugby by having the same players playing for 12 months of the year...
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