All Black alarm as Read injures ankle during Rugby World Cup

All Blacks loose forward Kieran Read (left) and Piri Weepu during training. Photo / NZ Herald

A couple of days back in All Black business at the Rugby World Cup and Kieran Read's world turned ugly again.

The No 8 rolled an ankle at training and while there was an array of soothing medical and public relations reports from the team, there will be alarm about Read's latest damage.

He may recover for Sunday's match against Canada but yesterday's hiccup is not ideal preparation.

The All Blacks are on leisure time today and further deliberations about Read's fitness and future in the tournament will be needed before the side is announced tomorrow.

He looked very uncomfortable when he limped out of training at Newtown and it will take all his recuperative powers to be ready for the All Blacks' final pool match.

If that is deemed too much of a risk, Read will have to prepare for a quarter-final on the foundation of one full game of rugby since the Super 15 final three months ago.

While that issue was festering away for the All Blacks, the frontrowers and their coach Mike Cron took to the stage.

Cron felt his troops were improving with each game, they had tried different combinations and there had been no injuries.

"We're ticking along quite good," he said.

Teams' scrum work in the World Cup had been mixed, while it was best to ask referees boss Paddy O'Brien for judgment about his officials' scrutiny.

The positives were teams listening to referees' calls on engagements rather than the "shambles" in the game two years ago.

Lesser-ranked sides' techniques had sharpened enormously and there was a widespread positive attitude to scrummaging.

"But it is such an art that if one member is technically not quite sound, then it can end up in a lot of collapses Alarm as Read injures ankle in training

and resets which is frustrating for everyone," Cron said.

Often it was easier to see scrum problems from the grandstand than out on the field.

"And the closer you get to it the harder it is to see," Cron said in defence of referees.

Perceived offences at the breakdowns or scrum might decide the World Cup so coaches were working hard to take the decision-making away from referees.

The hardest task for props was going in against a weak opponent.

"We all hate it because it is the hardest thing in the world to keep them up," he said.

If props briefly supported themselves with an arm on the ground and then rebound, referees would not penalise them.

But if a prop used his arm on the ground as a support or weapon then World Cup referees would penalise them.

Usually it was a loosehead prop who grounded his arm to support his engagement or to stabilise the scrum.

"I think it is important for all loosehead props to scrummage like your spine is a dart aiming at the bullseye and not double three and if you can do that you will bind correctly," Cron said.

Refs also had to be aware of tighthead props binding on their opponents' elbow and swinging down on it like a lever.

Cron will leave the All Black setup after the World Cup and believes they are in good shape with their scrum work.

"Technically these guys basically coach themselves now.

"I am virtually redundant, which is wonderful, and they can go round and coach younger players with good technique."

New Zealand probably led the world now with systems for developing frontrowers from the age of 12 up and that was where Cron was heading next season to keep the production line working.

He worked with the Canadian squad this year after being invited by coach and former All Black Kieran Crowley.

"I'm sure they will acquit themselves well," Cron said.

All Black tighthead Owen Franks had watched scrums from a variety of sides at the tournament and shared his coach's view on the standards.

They were all improving and a great deal had been positive.