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All Black takes time away from rugby due to personal issues

Liam Squire. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

All Blacks loose forward Liam Squire will miss the Highlanders’ upcoming tour of South Africa to deal with personal issues.

Squire was meant to make his Super Rugby season debut yesterday, off the bench against the Jaguares, but he was a late withdrawal as the Highlanders claimed a 32-27 victory.

Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger explained that Squire’s absence was due to personal matters.

“Definitely Liam was a bit of a blow … he’s just dealing with some personal family issues at the moment.

“He won’t come back on tour with us – at least for the first week, but as it stands it’s likely to be the duration of the tour.

“It’s important that our boys are in a space to play the games and at the moment Liam’s got to attend to a few things that he needs to deal to.”

Squire has yet to play for the Highlanders in 2019, after first having a hip injury that kept him out for the opening month. Just as he was back into full training, he tore the medial ligament in his knee, and now the earliest he will be able to return is in the Highlanders’ penultimate game of the regular season.

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It’s not the only All Blacks blow the Highlanders are going to suffer from, with Jackson Hemopo also not available to play in their games against the Lions and the Stormers due to a knee injury.

“We need to take fresh bodies, he won’t be available for the first game against the Lions, so we want to make sure we’ve got fully fit bodies on the field,” said Mauger.

Winger Tevita Li is also a doubt for the touring side after suffering a hamstring injury in the win yesterday, but he will be evaluated before the squad is named this morning.

In better news for the Highlanders, All Blacks winger Waisake Naholo will be included in the 27-man squad after recovering from an ACL injury, while Teihorangi Walden will also return to the squad and be available for selection.

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This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and is republished with permission

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Nickers 37 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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