ABs nurse bruises, and sore heads
Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:17
Speaking from their hotel in Cape Town on Sunday after a comprehensive Tri-Nations victory over the Springboks, All Black forwards coach Steve Hansen took stock of his team's positive condition.
With captain Richie McCaw nursing bruised ribs on Sunday after leading his men to an emphatic 19-0 victory over a seemingly erratic Springbok outfit in last Saturday's Tri-Nations showdown at Newlands, Hansen confirmed the only injury of any consequence was that to No.11, Sitiveni Sivivatu - who is currently sitting with a sprained ankle.
"We don't know yet [about the severity of Sivivatu's injury]," Hansen told a media gathering on Sunday.
"It was bad enough for him to come off yesterday. With injuries like that it normally takes about 48 hours to see if they settle down or get worse.
"He's got a big flight home, so we've got to make sure he's gets plenty of ice on it. If we can keep the swelling down, he shouldn't be out for too long," Hansen added.
The All Blacks can now look forward to a three week Tri-Nations break until their next and final Tri-Nations Test (against Australia), with a once-off Test against Samoa in between - giving the Kiwis a deserved opportunity to revel in their achievement before the long haul flight back to New Zealand.
"Some of them [the All Black players] deserve to have sore heads [this morning]."
"They've got three weeks off, and the professional game means you don't get too many opportunities to really enjoy and celebrate your victories," Hansen smirked.
With the Newlands victory standing the All Blacks in good stead to take the Tri-Nations title, Hansen believes his players can keep their winning momentum, with the Test against Somoa on September 3 coming at a good time in helping them to maintain match fitness.
"We've got a game against Samoa 10 days before the next [Tri-Nations] game [against Australia] and that's going to be really important for us, to get match fit again and get ready.
"What we know is if we keep playing well and win, then we'll win the Tri-Nations.
"The Bledisloe Cup will be up for grabs in that Test match [against Australia] and so will the Tri-Nations, so there's [still] plenty to play for," Hansen added.
By Nick Pawson
