Warren Gatland’s Welsh side have received an unexpected double boost ahead of their showdown with the All Blacks on Saturday after flying wing Sitiveni Sivivatu and prop Tony Woodcock were ruled out of the Millennium Stadium clash, reports WRU Tokyo correspondent Matt Lloyd.
Both players were cited for incidents of foul play during New Zealand’s 32-19 Bledisloe Cup triumph over Australia in Tokyo.
Sivivatu scored his 26th test try for the All Blacks in the first half, picked up a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Adam Ashley-Cooper just before the break and then received a one-match ban after the game as a result of his clumsy, mid-air collision with the Wallaby centre.
Powerhouse prop Woodcock, the senior pro in the All Blacks front five, was cited for using his elbow on second half replacement George Smith and his one match ban will also leave him kicking his heels in Cardiff this weekend.
While the loss of Sivivatu’s strike power will be a blow to Graham Henry’s side, it will be the lack of Woodcock’s experience in the front row that will really hurt – especially as Henry would have been hoping to gain a significant advantage on the loose head side due to the absence of Adam Jones in the Welsh front row.
Woodcock has five straight wins to his credit over Wales in 59 Tests for the All Blacks and would have been looking for a half-dozen on Saturday. But now newly appointed forwards coach, Henry, will have to shuffle his pack as he looks to extend New Zealand’s winning run over their old rivals to 57 years.
Gatland is already considering switching British & Irish Lions loose head prop Gethin Jenkins across the front row to cover for fellow Lion Adam Jones. It is a role he is used to, and has figured in against New Zealand before, and which will be a lot easier now that Woodcock is no longer in the picture.
Henry’s options are nowhere near as intimidating as his front row veteran from the Blues Owen Franks has six caps, while Wyatt Crockett has one.
