Skipper’s injury is not serious, says ABs coach

New Zealand will be looking to make a statement when they do battle with Tonga in their Rugby World Cup Pool C clash on Saturday morning AEST. But they will be without their inspirational skipper who is sidelined with a sore thigh.

“That’s all they need to worry about”.

Aware as he is of the tendency towards over-reaction in New Zealand at the slightest hint of a problem with McCaw Steven Hansen, their head coach, emphasised that his absence was purely precautionary.

She said: “We were invited by Mowden after we won a competition to do the Haka today”.

“It’s more a reflection of how hard we’ve been working off it, probably harder than we’ve ever worked before as a team in the last four years”.

Carter, trying to heal abrasive showcases along with a contrary putting detection, gets comfortable with Ma’a Nonu outside him instead of Sonny Bill Williams.

New Zealand, for whom centre Ma’a Nonu will win his 100th cap tomorrow, are sharing training facilities with Middlesbrough Football Club at the squad’s base in the Durham countryside.

In an intriguing move the Highlanders finisher has been handed Julian Savea’s No. 11 jersey, with Nehe Milner-Skudder returning on the right wing after sitting out the Georgian test.

Hansen stressed McCaw’s injury was not serious and there were no alarm bells.

You only have to go back to his last game in New Zealand – a 41-13 thrashing of Australia at Eden Park where Nonu was one of the best players on the park – to see his improvements in all those areas.

Captain Nili Latu will lead out a side that is looking to finish the pool round with determination and heart, stated the Tonga Rugby Union.

“He knows we’ve qualified and the most important game we’ve got now is the quarter-final”.

He said: “For us to be able to give the All Blacks a send-off like this is a credit to the town”.

Tonga want to end a disappointing Rugby World Cup campaign on a high against the All Blacks and leave a legacy for their youth.

“They have come back from games when they have been down after 60 minutes, 70 minutes”.

“For me, he’s just great to play alongside – he’s a big man who’s become a really vocal player that is now my eyes and ears, which makes a huge difference for a first five-eighth”.

Sightings – both rumoured and confirmed – of All Blacks squad members out and about in the community, have been reported to The Northern Echo offices on a daily basis.