All Blacks confident Jordan and Roigard will face Boks
New Zealand rugby coach Dave Rennie expects key players Will Jordan and Cam Roigard to be fit for the upcoming test match against the Springboks. The team is managing several injuries, including concerns regarding Damian McKenzie and Cortez Ratima.
Why it matters
The availability of star players is critical for the All Blacks' performance in high-stakes international rugby competitions.
New Zealand should be able to use record try scorer Will Jordan and halfback Cam Roigard in Saturday's first test against the Springboks despite the pair having yet to feature on the tour of South Africa.
Coach Dave Rennie was in a bullish mood about player fitness as he also announced uncapped Highlanders prop Saula Ma'u would join the tourists, replacing the injured Ollie Norris.
Rennie said he expected Jordan and Roigard to be ready to play in the first of the four tests at Ellis Park and was not concerned they had not had pre-test practice.
"Cam has played a lot of rugby this year, so him not playing so much lately is not a bad thing," Rennie told a press conference.
"Will came into that French test on the back of being out for a long time, so we're confident they will slot straight in.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in