French fans at Auckland's Viaduct speak about their opening match win and hopes for making the final.
Video / Bonnie Jansen
By Liam Napier in Paris
Provided his body holds together, Ethan Blackadder could be on the verge of surging from the back door to somewhere near the front of the loose forward queue for the All Blacks.
Blackadder played the last of his nine tests in November 2021,but after an injury-riddled two-year period, the combative Tasman and Crusaders blindside is en route to the World Cup as an injury replacement for Chiefs wing Emoni Narawa.
The rationale behind the All Blacks selecting five wings in their World Cup squad - at the expense of an additional loose forward - was always difficult to fathom.
With a back injury ruling Sam Cane out on the eve of their 27-13 World Cup opening defeat to France, the All Blacks were forced to promote Tupou Vaa’i to start his first test at blindside and insert Brodie Retallick on to the bench a week earlier than anticipated, following his knee injury.
Ethan Blackadder. Photo / Photosport
Narawa’s back injury that rules him out of the tournament now paves the way for the All Blacks to recalibrate their squad balance by calling in Blackadder while Cane and Shannon Frizell progress their respective returns.
Blackadder’s recall is a tough break for Chiefs loose forward Samipeni Finau after he missed out on the original World Cup squad, with the All Blacks favouring another outside back.
Blackadder, though, presents a compelling prospect when fully fit. While he’s short on game-time and has proven brittle this season, managing two hit-outs for Tasman and five disrupted appearances with the Crusaders, Blackadder is highly regarded and therefore possesses the ability to shake up the All Blacks’ loose forward pecking order.
The All Blacks have shown little faith in Luke Jacobson in recent weeks. They originally named Dalton Papali’i to start at blindside flanker against France, and with Blackadder now due to land in Lyon on Monday local time, he has the potential to push his case for game time.
“It’s disappointing with Emoni’s back and with Sam Cane and his back popping out the last couple of days meant it reinforced the need to boost the loose forward stocks, so Ethan has come in,” coach Ian Foster explained after the All Blacks processed their maiden World Cup pool loss while relocating from Paris to Lyon.
“We have erred on the side of coverage in the six/seven area, particularly with Sam’s back. Even though we’re confident it’s not long-term, having Ethan in gives us a bit of extra protection in that space.
“Sam is certainly better than he was yesterday, which is great. I don’t anticipate this being a long-term thing, but whether he’s right for Namibia I couldn’t tell you at the moment. The medics don’t seem to be overly concerned.”
When all the loose forwards are fit, Papali’i shapes as the likely bench candidate behind Ardie Savea, Cane and Shannon Frizell, but Blackadder could push past Jacobson in the coming weeks.
Foster ruled tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax (thigh gash) and Frizell (hamstring) out for the All Blacks’ next pool match against Namibia on Saturday, local time, which, depending on Cane’s availability, opens the door for Blackadder to potentially come into the mix.
Retallick emerged unscathed from his 15-minute comeback off the bench at Stade de France to return the locking stocks to full strength. The All Blacks may need Retallick to start immediately, too, if Scott Barrett’s bandaged finger and wrist is a serious concern.
In positive news, though, Jordie Barrett could resume at second five-eighth for Namibia after missing the World Cup opener with a niggly knee.
Foster indicated the two weeks between Namibia and the must-win pool match against Italy would be welcomed for rebuilding the fitness of his full squad.
“Jordie is getting better every single day,” Foster said. “We’ll make that decision as we go along. The fact we’ve got a bye after Namibia could mean he’s available and then we’ve got another period to get him right. He is going to be a little bit of ongoing management.”
Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010, and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.
