All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock is to make his return for the Canterbury Crusaders against the Wellington Hurricanes tomorrow in the second week of Super Rugby Aotearoa, but would not lead the side in the absence of the injured Scott Barrett.
Hooker Codie Taylor would instead captain the team for the first time, as Barrett is ruled out because of an issue with the plantar fascia ligament in his foot, Crusaders coach Scott Robertson told reporters yesterday.
The Hurricanes, who have named loose forward Ardie Savea to start after he last week made his return off the bench after knee surgery, would be desperate after losing their first game to the Auckland Blues, Robertson said.
Photo: AP
“The Hurricanes are always brutal matches. We know the ferocity of the love between the two teams,” Robertson said. “They’re desperate straight away aren’t they? This is a short, sharp sprint. They’ll be protecting their patch and we’re excited to get up there.”
Whitelock led the Crusaders to three successive Super Rugby titles from 2017 to last year, but had taken up a short-term contract in Japan and was not expected to play for the Crusaders this season.
Robertson instead named Barrett as his captain, with Taylor and fullback David Havili as the vice-captains, and chose to stick with his selections after Whitelock returned home early when the Top League season was canceled due to COVID-19.
The Auckland Blues will be looking for their sixth successive win when facing the Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton today, with both games expected to attract crowds in excess of 20,000, despite rain forecast all weekend.
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