Already under pressure after five losses in their last six games, the All Blacks also have picked up some injury problems which may hamper their selection process for the second test against the Springboks in Johannesburg on Saturday.
After Jordie Barrett left the field with a foot injury, and his brother Beauden was cleared of a neck injury following his aerial clash with Kurt-Lee Arendse, on Tuesday the news got grimmer that Will Jordan had missed training with a stomach bug.
Jordan was a shoo-in for selection and if he doesn’t recover in time will give the All Blacks more problems as while they have cleared both Barrett brothers, they have left a decision on their fitness until later in the week.
“Jordie has a bad ankle, but it’s not too bad, and Beauden went for a scan last night on his neck. That’s clear, so we’ll make a decision on that later in the week.But he’s still a bit sore, “coach Ian Foster said on Sunday ahead of a big week in Johannesburg.
The All Blacks will name their side for the clash on Thursday.