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All Blacks prop Tyrel Lomax is treated for his knee injury early in the final pool match against Uruguay.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster has declared his crocked tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax a chance to play this weekend’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against the red-hot Ireland team in Paris.
Lomax is the major All Blacks injury concern for the first round of knockout play at the global tournament in France, but they had some positive news ahead of a Sunday afternoon training hitout to launch their buildup for the first of two blockbuster quarterfinals at Stade de France in Paris.
The 27-year-old, 127kg powerhouse limped off early in last Thursday’s 73-0 romp over Uruguay with a suspected medial ligament injury.
Ireland, riding a 17-test win streak, meet the All Blacks in the Saturday night eliminator in Paris (kickoff 8am Sunday NZT), while the hosts line up against defending champions South Africa in the Sunday knockout game (kickoff 9am Monday NZT).
The Paris quarterfinals pit the top four teams in the world against each other, with the eventual champion expected to come out of this part of the draw. And there remains a chance that first-choice No 3 Lomax could be a part of it, with Foster delivering a mostly positive medical prognosis to kick off preparations.
“He’s getting better by the day. He’s better than we expected,” the All Blacks coach told Kiwi media at their Lyon base. “He’s likely to jog around this afternoon at a light session, and after that the next 48 hours will decide…
“I couldn’t definitively tell you he’s in now, but he’s definitely not out yet either. So I will take that as a positive.”
Foster said scans had shown the injury was less serious than initially feared. “It’s just a strain. He’s had an injury there before, so how much of it is a strain and how much old scar tissue is not quite clear yet. But the signs today are looking really good.”
Foster would not be drawn on the risk-reward element of picking a prop carrying an injury for such an important clash, but clarified: “Are we gonna play someone if they’re not right? The answer is no.”
Lomax is a potentially important figure in what is sure to be a mighty forward battle against the Irish. Veteran Nepo Laulala would be the likely starter in his absence, but lacks the all-round skills that Lomax would bring to the table. Fletcher Newell is the other specialist tighthead in the squad, but he has been used principally as an impact man in his short test career.
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