Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Peter Umaga-Jensen set for All Blacks debut after Rieko Ioane withdraws through injury

By Online Editors
(Photo by Masanori Udagawa/Getty Images)

Rieko Ioane has withdrawn from the All Black’s squad for the second Bledisloe Cup test against the Wallabies at Eden park, and has been replaced by Hurricanes centre Peter Umaga-Jensen.

ADVERTISEMENT

After starting last weeks test at outside centre, Ioane was dropped to the bench as midfield cover after a mixed performance in the first test of the year, which was largely overshadowed by the 23-year-old butchering what appeared to be a certain try.

Ioane has been battling a hamstring injury since the clash, but was given until the 11th hour to prove his fitness for the highly anticipated match. However, the 2017 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year failed a fitness test on Sunday morning.

Video Spacer

Healthspan Elite Performance of the Week | Bledisloe Cup | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

Video Spacer

Healthspan Elite Performance of the Week | Bledisloe Cup | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

 

Umaga-Jensen was a standout for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Aotearoa, in what was a breakout season for the up-and-comer. The 22-year-old earned selection in the North vs South match on the back of his five SR Aotearoa matches, and was called into the All Blacks camp for the first time earlier this month as injury cover.

He flew up to Auckland yesterday with a potential test debut waiting for him, after having initially been released to play for his province Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup.

There will be plenty of watchful eyes on the up-and-comer, who is the nephew of former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga.

ADVERTISEMENT

Umaga-Jensen’s selection is one of two changes to the New Zealand midfield, with All Blacks mainstay Anton Lienert-Brown having been promoted to the starting side after coming on as a replacement last week.

Auckland’s Eden Park will host the next Bledisloe Cup test, which is the second of four matches between the All Blacks and the Wallabies this year. It’s a must-win clash for the hosts, who will play two tests in Australia afterwards to determine Trans-Tasman rugby supremacy.

The two sides played out an entertaining, nearly 90 minutes of rugby at Wellington’s Sky Stadium last Sunday, which finished 16-all.

 

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING RFU statement: TMO reaction to alleged foul play against Owen Farrell RFU statement: TMO reaction to alleged foul play against Owen Farrell
Search