Featured
Carter out of Bledisloe test
The All Blacks take a hit with the loss of Dan Carter, but the opposition doesn’t think that much will change.
All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter has been ruled out of the Blesidloe test against the Wallabies in the opening round of the 2013 Rugby Championship.
The 31-year old endured a calf-strain and will sit out of the first two matches against Australia in Sydney and Wellington.
While the loss of Carter will be a huge blow for the All Blacks, rival Wallaby backline player Adam Ashley-Cooper said that the New Zealanders will be just as dangerous with Cruden on the field.
“Obviously that’s a big loss for the Kiwi team, but they’ve got enough depth to cover that,” Ashley-Cooper said.
“I think Aaron Cruden will do a pretty good job.
“He’ll slot right in nicely, so I don’t think there will be too much disruption to the Kiwi team.”
The Wallaby centre added that the New Zealand outfit has been gifted with some great depth this season, and should have the necessary players to fill the gaps.
“They’ve got a few very talented five-eighths in the likes of Aaron Cruden and even Ben Smith, so the guys that are under DC (Carter) will do more than a great job and I don’t think it will be too much of a disruption to their backline,” he said.
“All five-eighths are coming off a pretty successful Super Rugby campaign, Aaron played the first two games of the French series and he did a pretty good job there.
“That position has been quite competitive over the past couple of months.”
The All Blacks will face Australia at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, on August 17. Kick-off is at 12:05 (SA time, GMT+2)
