NZ lock crisis

Whatever happened too Anton Boric was supposed to be Ali Williams replacement injured 2008 after goo run then vanished?

Plays in Japan for Mitsubishi Dynaboars. Has done since 2013.

Best lock pairing in the world with both Whitelock and Retallick under 25. I wouldn't say they are in crisis.

Yeah Anthony Boric suffered a couple of neck injuries (I think) which put his career on the edge. Decided to take a payday in Japan – can’t blame him. I rated him highly too.

I don’t think we’re in crisis. Two of the best four locks in the world are in our second row. Both under 25 and both highly experienced. Crisis – what crisis? We have able players underneath this layer; Jeremy Thrush has proven he can do a job if required though the acid test will be this Saturday. Bird, Romano both injured but are very good players.

I’d still have Thorn in the 23 though if he was available.

Retallick I would say is an absolute maniac. Runs around like his life depended on it. NZ seem to see him as the man in the middle of a defensive line to put in the big hits and clear out those rucks. He's an awesome player.

10 years ago we had big mean lumps like Jonno and Bakkies....

now we have athletic head cases like Eben, Lawes and Brodie who I think have cranked it up a few notches.

FA - it's well noted in NZ that the reason Brodie is so prominent is that Sam Whitelock excels in his job also, and takes the strain at lineout/scrummage time, which frees up Brodie.

I believe these two will go down as NZ's best locking partnership

I agree it has a very good look to it.

I think the world in general has a glut of quality locks duos

NZ

Whitelock
Retallick

SA

Eben
Flip

ENG

Lawes
Launchbury

and probably the lock who has the best potential of all is AUS' Will Skelton. His talent is unreal... skills of a basketball player, physical presence of an NFL player.

I'm sorry, but NewZealand rugby and crisis are not words that go together, I am sure there are plenty of other players in that position in NZ that could do a sterling job.

Pundits are calling Thrush NZ's sixth choice lock. Have a problem with that.

1. Whitelock
2. Retallick
3. Romano
4. Thrush
5. Tuipulotu
6. Bird

Whitelock is more experienced but frankly I think we'd be in more trouble if Retallick got injured. His workrate is immense but as mintie says so is Whitelock's but in a different way.

The problem is our cover has been injured and now Whitelock falls. 1, 3, 5 and 6 are injured as it stands. That's just as much a crisis as the winger or hooker one for Australia. I really don't know who they will bring in with lock cover against SA as Luatua will have to come in at 6 cover to start or Cane and McCaw will start and Luatua could conceivably cover backrow if needed as well as lock.

It's not ideal but these positional run of injuries can happen and they test the squad so going through that process before a RWC (10 was our crisis position last RWC) is not necessarily a disadvantage. Whitelock's experience against Matlock will be the most missed this weekend.

It was suggested in the NZ game vs Argentina on saturday that Read could cover. It makes sense, but it wouldn't make sense to put the worlds #1 eight into the row. But to see out a game for 30/40 minutes its an option I guess.

It was just a play on words but with 2 first choice in Whitelock/Romano injured,two tyros
injured too.Capped players like Boric,O`Neill,Donnely,Ross,Eaton all playing overseas.
Against the most experienced Bok in recent history and Thrush aside no Lock covercurrently
so yes that is a crisis.