Wallabies rate Cruden as opponent
Adrian Warren,
AAP
August 13, 2013, 12:32 pm
The Wallabies expect superstar five eighth Dan Carter's absence to cause only minimal disruption to the All Blacks' backline in the opening two Bledisloe Cup contests with Aaron Cruden a well-proven replacement.
Carter, 31, was on Tuesday ruled out of New Zealand's first two matches in the Rugby Championship against Australia in Sydney and Wellington over the next two weekends due to a calf strain.
It continues a recent trend of injury concerns for the 95-time capped veteran pivot, who also missed two of the All Blacks' three Tests against France as New Zealand swept that home series in June.
Wallabies backline stalwart Adam Ashley-Cooper said there hadn't been too much of a reaction in the Australian camp to news of Carter's injury.
Unlike years past, when New Zealand struggled for a quality back up to playmaker Carter, they now have depth at five eighth headed by 24-year-old Cruden, who has become established at Test level and steered the Chiefs to a second consecutive Super Rugby title this month.
"Obviously that's a big loss for the Kiwi team, but they've got enough depth to cover that," Ashley-Cooper said.
"I think Aaron Cruden will do a pretty good job.
"He'll slot right in nicely, so I don't think there will be too much disruption to the Kiwi team."
"They've got a few very talented five-eighths in the likes of Aaron Cruden and even Ben Smith, so the guys that are under DC (Carter) will do more than a great job and I don't think it will be too much of a disruption to their backline," Ashley-Cooper said.
"All five-eighths are coming off a pretty successful Super Rugby campaign, Aaron played the first two games of the French series and he did a pretty good job there.
"That position has been quite competitive over the past couple of months."
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