Double blow for Kiwis

New Zealand midfielders Luke McAlister and Conrad Smith have been ruled out of the remainder of the Tri-Nations series due to injuries they sustained in the nail-biting 19-18 victory over Australia last weekend.

McAlister was forced from the field with a fractured right cheekbone after a clash of heads with Peter Hynes in the 50th minute of the match at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, while Smith strained his left hamstring and was replaced at half-time by Ma’a Nonu, who went on to score the game’s only try.