VIDEO: Retallick blow as All Blacks feel the pain
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP REACTION: New Zealand paid a dear price for their 16-all draw with South Africa in a bruising encounter in Wellington on Saturday.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen confirmed that Brodie Retallick has dislocated his shoulder.
Retallick was left in agony after he was cleared out of a ruck in the 60th minute of the Test.
“He has dislocated his shoulder and is on the way to the hospital,” Hansen told reporters at the post-match press conference.
“Whether he has fractured it as well, we don’t know. We have to wait [for the results from the scans at the hospital].”
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Retallick was playing his 200th first-class match.
A Rugby World Cup 2015 winner and New Zealand and World Player of The Year in 2014, 28-year-old Retallick could be in a race against time to be first for the World Cup, which gets underway in September.
Replacement Herschel Jantjies scored a last-minute try for the Springboks to snatch the draw.
Hansen said it was sobering to be on the receiving end of a crucial late try, something the All Black had specialised in under his watch.
“We’ve done that to plenty of sides ourselves, so sometimes you’ve just got to take your own medicine and move on,” he said.
“I said right from the beginning the [Rugby Championship] is not our priority, the World Cup is, and the Bledisloe Cup.
“We’ve had to find some things out and we’re finding them out, which is great.”
Always a tough challenge against @Springboks. We look forward to meeting you in Japan.#NZLvRSA #BACKBLACK pic.twitter.com/zTIshhZ3il
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) July 27, 2019
Springbok counterpart Rassie Erasmus swatted aside suggestions the draw seemed more like a win for his team, believing they were fortunate to force the stalemate.
“We are under no illusions that we could have lost this game, like last year [in South Africa],” he said.
“We got away with a draw and we’ll be satisfied with that.
“For the first 35 minutes we played really well, but in the second half, they totally dominated, except for the last minute.”
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