Injury blow sees All Black lock replaced by Crusaders teammate
By Online Editors
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Uncapped Crusaders lock Mitchell Dunshea has been called into the All Blacks squad.
Dunshea replaces Crusaders teammate Quinten Strange, who has left the camp after suffering an ankle injury.
Strange is understood to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, effectively ruling him out of the upcoming Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship.
The Aotearoa Rugby Pod panel with James Parsons and Bryn Hall discuss what to expect from this All Blacks side heading into The Rugby Championship in the midst of a disrupted 2020 season coming off the back of a World Cup loss.
His departure leaves the squad with a gap in an already tricky area of depth. Dunshea will assemble with the team next week in Wellington ahead of the first Bledisloe Cup test.
Canterbury co-coach Reuben Thorne says they only found out during this afternoon's training session, ahead of his side's Mitre 10 Cup match against Wellington this weekend.
"It's a fantastic opportunity for him. We thought he might be in that position already.
"He's one of those guys who just works and works and works. Underrated as a lineout forward.
"His work rate's massive he gets around the field and makes a lot of tackles. I don't think it'll be an issue for him at a high level – he's got the talent, he's got the desire and he's as tough as nails."
Thorne says it wasn't the biggest surprise to lose Dunshea to All Blacks selection.
"The locking stocks, it's a challenging area and we know there's a couple of guys with injury concerns… we always felt our locks were probably at risk, particularly Mitch.
"It's a bit of a blow for us to be honest, because he's a key part of our group."
Mitchell Dunshea. (Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Hurricanes midfielder Ngani Laumape, Crusaders captain Scott Barrett and Otago hooker Liam Coltman have joined the camp.
Laumape (broken forearm) and Barrett (toe) will have their respective injuries assessed but both are expected to be among the 11 players added to the original 35-man squad, along with Wellington midfielder Peter Umaga-Jensen who is in line to replace the injured Braydon Ennor, for the Rugby Championship.
Coltman has been called in to cover Asafo Aumua who is recovering from a head knock suffered while playing for Wellington. Beauden Barrett is also back the squad following the birth of his daughter, Billie Rose.
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Of their 5 big matches in RWC Scotland and NZ were the easiest.
They took a 12-3 lead against NZ and after the red decided it was best to hold the lead and take chances that came. None came and it was tight but they dug a lot deeper in the other two knock out matches. They had trounced NZ in Twickenham in a fixture that NZ must now regret. Psychology was clearly with SA in the final as a result.
My favourite line/exchanges from Chasing the Sun 2.
News headline: “SA. The last hurdle in ABs World Cup glory”. Something like that.
“You’re all just a hurdle. A hop, skip and a jump”. Coming from Rassie and Jacque.
Basically - nobody thinks you’re going to win. You’re just a pushover team. Nobody respects you.
When the camera shows the players faces, you can see the effect. You can see the rev meters (die moer metertjies) firing up.
Mitchell said he felt it prior to the 19 final. He said to Eddie watching the teams warming up that it was going to be a tough day at the office.
Wave a red flag in front of South African, and you can expect a reaction.
This is not unique - many teams rev themselves. And Bok teams in particular. With horrific consequences (discipline, poor thinking under pressure) because that’s the drawback to using emotion right?
But what this Bok team does better than many since 2007 is channel the emotion and stay on task. Despite the emotion. Why, because while Rassie might play mind games - he talks about creating a safe environment. Listen to his recent honorary doctorate acceptance speech. While he uses psychology he creates psychological safety. He’s a damn fine coach.
Can’t wait for Pretoria. It’s going to be a hummer.
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Of their 5 big matches in RWC Scotland and NZ were the easiest. They took a 12-3 lead against NZ and after the red decided it was best to hold the lead and take chances that came. None came and it was tight but they dug a lot deeper in the other two knock out matches. They had trounced NZ in Twickenham in a fixture that NZ must now regret. Psychology was clearly with SA in the final as a result.
Go to commentsMy favourite line/exchanges from Chasing the Sun 2. News headline: “SA. The last hurdle in ABs World Cup glory”. Something like that. “You’re all just a hurdle. A hop, skip and a jump”. Coming from Rassie and Jacque. Basically - nobody thinks you’re going to win. You’re just a pushover team. Nobody respects you. When the camera shows the players faces, you can see the effect. You can see the rev meters (die moer metertjies) firing up. Mitchell said he felt it prior to the 19 final. He said to Eddie watching the teams warming up that it was going to be a tough day at the office. Wave a red flag in front of South African, and you can expect a reaction. This is not unique - many teams rev themselves. And Bok teams in particular. With horrific consequences (discipline, poor thinking under pressure) because that’s the drawback to using emotion right? But what this Bok team does better than many since 2007 is channel the emotion and stay on task. Despite the emotion. Why, because while Rassie might play mind games - he talks about creating a safe environment. Listen to his recent honorary doctorate acceptance speech. While he uses psychology he creates psychological safety. He’s a damn fine coach. Can’t wait for Pretoria. It’s going to be a hummer.
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