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Milner-Skudder could 'pencil in' Chiefs match for comeback

Hurricanes and New Zealand full-back Nehe Milner-Skudder

New Zealand full-back Nehe Milner-Skudder is optimistic he will be fit before the start of the British and Irish Lions series and has picked out the clash with Chiefs on June 9 as a potential target for his Hurricanes comeback.

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Milner-Skudder fractured his foot in the Super Rugby loss against Chiefs on March 10 and has taken longer than expected to recover.

Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd questioned whether the 26-year-old will have enough time to prove his fitness in order to be called up by the All Blacks for the Lions series, with the first Test taking place at Eden Park on June 24.

Milner-Skudder was back running on the treadmill on Monday, though, and is encouraged with the strides he is making.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlTpi2A4qyM

“I’m making progress. It obviously took a little bit longer than we expected. The first couple of weeks went so well just coming off the crutches, but the three-to-six-week mark it took a while to knit back together,” he told Stuff.

“I got it re-X-rayed and there was a little bit of calcification of the bone, but not as much as we expected. I got back on the treadmill [on Monday] – another step in the right direction.

“It’s a bit of relief and a lot of satisfaction changing it up from being on the rower and the grinder. It’s heading in the right direction, getting back on my feet and getting the legs ticking over.”

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He added: “It [the foot injury] is not end of the year or anything like that. I’ll work my way back and definitely hopeful of featuring in that June window. I’m unsure who it’ll be for, but surely I’ll be back playing some footy by then.

“I’m hoping just to get back out on the field with the Canes. The boys head off to Africa in three or four weeks’ time, then they’re back against the Chiefs at home before the break. I could try to pencil that in as a bit of a goal.”

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Nickers 34 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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