Uh oh – the All Blacks injury crisis is real

That confident smirk most Kiwis have been wearing whenever the topic of the Lions tour came up just turned into a slight grimace, writes Jamie Wall.

Last Thursday provided a good bit of what-if conversation for the June series when it was announced that Jerome Kaino would undergo surgery for his injured knee. Good as in it’s not really that much of an issue given the diving pool-sized depth the All Blacks have in that position, plus it might even be an opportunity to try something fun.

However on Sunday, New Zealand woke to the slightly more serious news that All Black captain Kieran Read is facing a six week stint on the sideline after breaking his thumb in the Crusaders’ otherwise comfortable victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

With all due respect to Kaino, he can be replaced – and if his recovery goes to plan, probably won’t need to be anyway. Read could leave a much bigger hole. He is not only the starting number eight, but also the captain.

Positionally, Steven Luatua is the next likely cab off the rank. He started at 8 last year against Italy and, despite having a few weeks off for a stupid late shot on Aaron Cruden, has been playing really well for the struggling Blues. Of course, there’s the not-so-small matter of him signing with Bristol for next season. Signing an overseas contract is usually a death warrant for any All Blacks aspirations. It will be an interesting little case study if he indeed does get the call-up, given that the selectors would be setting quite a serious precedent. Especially given that Montpellier-bound-soon-to-be-millionaire Cruden will most likely be in the squad too.

Once again, the irresistible option of throwing Ardie Savea into the starting spot is the first option on a lot of fans’ minds. After a loose forward injury crisis of their own at the beginning of the season, he’s played at the back of the Hurricanes scrum with increasing dominance. If anything, he’s been even better than at openside – it gives him easier access to getting his hands on the ball and a free pass to roam in the back fielding kicks.

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Read’s game-breaking ability will take a bit of effort to fill. But the bigger question lies over who will be leading the All Blacks out onto Eden Park if he gets the thumbs-down from the team doctor on June 24.

Sam Cane has been the shadow leader of the All Blacks for the past season or so. He first took the reins from Richie McCaw during the World Cup against Namibia, then last year against Italy in Rome. Both were comfortable victories – it’s fair to say the most difficult part of either test for him was the coin toss.

So he is somewhat untested. Then there’s the fact that some of his recent decision-making in key moments has been a bit head-scratching. Up 27-20 against the Sunwolves with time up on the clock on Saturday, the Cane-led Chiefs were still in search of a bonus point. The task seemed easy given that the Japanese side had been reduced to 13 men after two backs were sent to the bin. ‘Just spin it wide’ is what everyone with even the slightest bit of rugby nous would’ve been thinking. The Chiefs, however, opted for a midfield scrum and a series of pick and go’s that resulted in a game-ending held up call over the Sunwolves’ try line.

Cane doesn’t have the job of stepping into Read’s boots locked down just yet – so any moments of actual far-reaching decision-making deserve utmost scrutiny. Especially when first choice All Blacks Ben Smith and Dane Coles have both skippered their respective Super Rugby teams to title wins in the last couple of seasons.

Nit-picky? Absolutely, but it’s only the most important job in the country he might end up with.

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