Carter not alone in agony
One of the Sky TV commentators, former Australian hooker Jeremy Paul, said that on his way to the studio on Sunday he felt like he was in a country in mourning. He went on to say that without Carter, New Zealand have no hope of winning the World Cup.
New Zealand rugby has great depth in most positions but Carter has been such a dominant force in recent years the majority of fringe out-halves headed offshore to further their rugby careers.
The NZRU maintains a firm rule that any player playing overseas is ineligible for All Black selection. The most talked about defection was that of Nick Evans after the last RWC. He quit New Zealand and became a star of Harlequins in the English Premiership. More recently, former All Black Luke McAlister didn’t even wait to see out the domestic season before heading overseas to take up a contract with Toulouse, where he has been in outstanding form.
Waiting in the wings, New Zealand have a trio of promising players who have been standout out-halves at U20 level, all three playing in teams that have won successive Junior World Cups. Manawatu’s Aaron Cruden, Gareth Anscombe of Auckland and Tyler Bleyendaal of Canterbury have the pedigree but little or no Test experience.
Cruden, 22, a former World Junior Player of the Year, has been chosen to replace Carter in the squad. He has played only six Test matches.
Although slightly built, Cruden defends well and he is an elusive runner. His weakness has been his kicking but it is an area he has worked on and playing against Waikato just prior to the RWC he converted six tries from six, kicked four penalties and scored a try for a tally of 29 points.
How quickly he can get up to speed and come to grips with the All Blacks’ systems will determine whether he becomes a back-up player or a national hero. He certainly has the talent to be a star.
With Carter out of the tournament, the pressure falls on Colin Slade to navigate the All Blacks around the field. In fact, Slade is lucky to have been selected in the initial squad after breaking his jaw twice in Super 15 rugby this season. To date in the tournament he looks to be lacking in confidence while his kicking has been below par. On the plus side, Slade has excellent pace and he has the ability to control a game.
WHATEVER the outcome for New Zealand, a catalogue of injuries has changed things for many teams. There is no doubt the injury to Carter has closed any perceived gap between the All Blacks and their nearest rivals but it does seem that this RWC is showing just how physically demanding top rugby has become. New Zealand’s quarter-final opponents Argentina have lost their outstanding No.8 Juan Martin Fernandez-Lobbe.
If a team really looks to be grinding its way through the RWC it is South Africa. Strong set play and an outstanding kick-chase game was often enough when Frans Steyn could kick goals from 60 metres. But his loss through injury will allow opposition teams to adopt a less restrictive game plan.
England have lost Andrew Sheridan, rated as one of the world’s outstanding props and a cornerstone of their set-piece. Again, strategies will change and calling a scrum against England will not be done with the same amount of trepidation as before.
Australia have lost Drew Mitchell and Wycliff Palu, but neither of them would be considered highly influential and neither featured in the Wallabies’ Tri Nations success.
It is no surprise that injuries have become a major issue in this World Cup.
The physicality of the game has increased markedly since the first tournament in 1987.
There is no place for players to hide in the current style of play and the commitment in the clean-out means anyone near a ruck becomes a legitimate target.
Who keeps more of their key men on the pitch from here on in might just be the key factor in deciding the destination of the Webb Ellis Cup.
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