Rugby: More injury woes hit Scots

The New Zealand rugby tours of yet another two Scottish players appear to have ended prematurely as the team's rotten luck with injuries continued yesterday.

Fullback Derrick Lee and blindside flanker Don Mackinnon, named in the team to play Hawkes Bay in Napier today, were withdrawn after they pulled out of training with hamstring problems yesterday afternoon.

Lee has been replaced at fullback by winger Cameron Murray, with Craig Moir coming off the reserves to the wing.

New Zealander Shaun Longstaff, who played in the first test on Saturday, has been moved into the reserves to cover the wing.

Roland Reid has been elevated from the bench to replace Invercargill-born Mackinnon at flanker, with former Wellington player Gordon Simpson being moved to the bench.

The only consolation for the touring side, who were thrashed 20-69 in Saturday's test, was that neither player ruled out yesterday was a member of the test squad.

However, they have lost two test players, lock Scott Murray (ribs) and hooker Steven Brotherstone (shoulder) for the rest of the tour over the past four days.

Both players have been replaced in the squad.

As today's match is the last mid-week game of the seven-match tour, the Scottish management have not asked for replacements for Lee and Mackinnon.

Manager Douglas Morgan did not rule them out of the tour last night, but expected neither would be available for selection again given the nature of the injuries.

Murray, a world-class lock, was admitted to Dunedin Hospital with severely bruised ribs after the test.

His replacement, Australian-born Nathan Hines, joined the team in Napier yesterday and is expected to play off the bench today.

"I was watching the replay of the test when I got a call from [Scottish team secretary] Gregor Nicholson," Hines said. "I saw the first half-an-hour. It was 7-6."

He did not see the rest of the game because he had to pack up and leave almost immediately.

The only drawback for Hines is that he has played little rugby since mid-December, the Paris sevens tournament at the end of May being his only shakedown since coming back from an injury.

Meanwhile, Hawkes Bay coach Mark Shaw has named a side who could fully test Scotland's mid-week team, as their fellow second-division province Nelson Bays did last week in their 25-25 draw.

Hawkes Bay include former New Zealand Maori players Mutu Ngarimu at No 8 and Orcades Crawford in the front row, and promising youngsters Clint Newlands (prop) and Daniel Quate (lock), both members of last year's New Zealand under-19 squad.

Scotland: Cameron Murray, Craig Moir, David Officer, Craig Joiner, Alan Bulloch, Graham Shiel (captain), Graeme Beveridge, Jon Petrie, Martin Leslie, Stewart Campbell, Iain Fullarton, Roland Reid, Gordon McIlwham, Steve Scott, Allan Jacobsen. Replacements: Gavin Scott, Mattie Stewart, Nathan Hines, Gordon Simpson, Graeme Burns, Duncan Hodge, Shaun Longstaff.

Hawkes Bay: Aaron Hamilton, Ray Karauria, Davis Norman, Andrew Powdrell, Marty Lloyd, Scott Leighton (captain), Richard Baines, Mutu Ngarimu, Tafai Ioasa, Reece Robinson, Daniel Quate, Michael Johnson, Ocades Crawford, Maharoni Schwalger, Clint Newlands. Replacements: Russell Hewitt, Shaun Bell, Zeb Huata, Mike Chaffey, Peter Bieski, Tony Cooper, Simon Christie.

* England coach Clive Woodward has dismissed the appointment of Graham Henry to coach the British Lions as a joke that could backfire on British rugby.

Woodward, a former Lions player, is quoted in yesterday's London Daily Telegraph as saying he could not believe the New Zealander had been given the job to coach the Lions in Australia next year.

"Believe me, this is not sour grapes on my part," Woodward said. "But why, oh why, are we not taking a British or Irish coach? Are we that badly off?"

He asked why a number of home-grown coaches, including Englishmen Rob Andrew and Dean Richards, and Welshman Gareth Jenkins, were overlooked.

"It's a joke. Graham Henry might well be back in New Zealand in a few years' time and we will have helped to add to his coaching knowledge. It doesn't make sense."

- NZPA