No McCaw for Canes clash

 

However, they are confident he will bounce back in the following Super Rugby round.

 

Coach Todd Blackadder confirmed on Tuesday that McCaw, who was "knocked out for a second" against the Blues last Saturday, would not play in Wellington. 

 

"He was a little bit blurry and felt a little bit off, so it's best not to risk him," Blackadder said.

 

"When he came in and didn't feel quite a hundred percent on Monday, we just ruled him out.

 

"He got his head on the wrong side and then got kneed in the temple.

 

"Even after the game he was really chipper and was fine, he was 100 percent, but it's just not worth risking him."

 

Blackadder said McCaw would continue to follow the graduated return protocols but he was feeling much better. 

 

"All signs are pretty positive. Hopefully, he's back for next week," the coach added.

 

Crusaders doctor Deb Robinson clarified the situation with McCaw, saying: "Richie has made really good progress. He had a bit of a mild headache [on Monday] but later on, he was feeling really well. 

 

"But we made the decision that if he was still symptomatic on Monday, he wouldn't play this weekend."

 

"The reason behind that if we have a graduated set of protocols. If he's not fit to start that on the Monday, it means doing contact on Friday at captain's run, and I don't think that's appropriate that we wait that long.

 

"I think the best time to do contact is Thursday at training."

 

By having a mild headache on Monday, McCaw ran "out of days" to recover by the weekend, so the Crusaders made a decision that he would not play in Wellington.