Injured All Blacks duo still ‘unlikely’ to play Rugby World Cup opener

All Blacks coach Ian Foster has provided a positive injury update on star duo Brodie Retallick and Shannon Frizell, saying that both players are “a little bit ahead of schedule.”

Loose forward Frizell was compared to legendary All Black Jerome Kaino after a career-best Test against the Springboks last month, but the flanker won’t repeat history this week.

Coach Foster confirmed earlier this week that Frizell was unavailable to face the World Champion Boks at Twickenham due to a “niggly” hamstring injury.

Frizell will be watching on from the sidelines along with All Blacks centurion Brodie Retallick who limped off the field during the thrilling win over the Wallabies in Dunedin with a knee injury.

“Clearly with Brodie Retallick out at the moment, and with Shannon Frizzel in the same boat – they’re both actually progressing really well by the way, a little bit ahead of schedule which is pleasing,” Foster told reporters in London.

“We really want to manage our locking stocks so we’re taking advantage of utilizing Josh Lord while he’s over here and (that’ll) give us a good chance to manage the time that Scott (Barrett) and Sam (Whitelock) have.”

When Foster initially revealed that both players were unavailable for the upcoming Test, the coach also revealed that the star duo were “likely” to miss the World Cup opener in Paris.

The All Blacks face tournament hosts France at Stade de France on September 8, which is in just over two weeks’ time.

While Foster was positive about how both Frizell and Retallick were tracking, the coach clarified that they were still in doubt for that highly anticipated clash with Les Bleus.

“Unlikely but they are trending really well which is pleasing,” Foster added.

The All Blacks take on South Africa at Twickenham on Friday night. For both teams, it’s their final opportunity to make a statement ahead of the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France.