1
Super Rugby Aotearoa: Nehe Milner-Skudder 'potentially available' for Hurricanes clash despite fresh knee injury
By Alex McLeod
Star Highlanders recruit Nehe Milner-Skudder could be "potentially available" to play against the Hurricanes in his side's final Super Rugby Aotearoa clash next week despite picking up a fresh knee injury.
The 29-year-old former All Black wasn't included in the Highlanders side to face the Crusaders in Christchurch this weekend, with head coach Aaron Mauger revealing on Friday that he had sustained an MCL tweak earlier in the week.
“He picked up an MCL tweak the other day, so he’s back on that injury list," Mauger told media.
“We’re hoping to get him right for some club rugby tomorrow, but he’ll be unavailable for the weekend.”
The news comes after Highlanders assistant coach Tony Brown last week said that the 13-test outside back was preparing to return to contact training after enduring a 21-month recovery spell from a troublesome shoulder injury.
Milner-Skudder's last appearance came in November 2018 when he played for the All Blacks in their 69-31 victory over Japan in Tokyo, and hasn't featured since as he continues his rehabilitation.
Mauger indicated that the injury isn't too significant, and that the 2015 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, who signed a two-season deal with the Highlanders in May, may be free to play against his former side, the Hurricanes, next Saturday.
Should he fail to prove his fitness by then, though, Milner-Skudder will have to wait until 2021 to make his Highlanders debut.
His injury woes echoes that of other prominent figures who have returned to New Zealand to play in Super Rugby Aotearoa but are yet to feature in the Kiwi league.
Former All Blacks and Crusaders legend Dan Carter was a surprise signing by the Blues shortly before the competition kicked off, and was expected to make his franchise debut against the Hurricanes in round six.
However, a calf injury ruled him out of that fixture, and with only one more round to play after this weekend, the 38-year-old has conceded it might be too big of an ask for him to recover in time to face off against the Crusaders in the final round of action.
Elsewhere, the Hurricanes re-signed franchise icon Julian Savea on a short-term deal last week, but having not played since leaving French club Toulon, he failed to make the match day squad to play the Chiefs in Wellington on Saturday.
The 30-year-old will only have one more opportunity to make an appearance for the side he played 116 times for between 2011 and 2018 when they travel to Dunedin to face off against Milner-Skudder's Highlanders in eight days' time.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Ex-Ireland wing brands Six Nations champs 'not that good'
3
Hacjivah Dayimani exits SA following Springbok snub
4
Saracens statement: The outcome of Billy Vunipola investigation
5
Latest Comments
It is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real speech. They claim free speech. The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
Go to comments