Whitelock not worried by Read injury

Sam Whitelock is confident the injury that New Zealand skipper Kieran Read suffered on his return to action for the Crusaders is not serious.

Read made his first appearance of the Super Rugby campaign as the Crusaders thumped the Hurricanes 32-8 on Friday, but he was replaced at the interval after suffering an injury to his right leg midway through the first half.

The 33-year-old received lengthy treatment on the problem, later confirmed as a double haematoma by head coach Scott Robertson, but Whitelock took heart from the fact Read was able to complete the opening 40.

“I asked him if he was feeling all right and he said ‘I’m sweet’,” Whitelock was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz.

“I’ve played with him heaps and you can read his body language straight away, so I knew he was sore, but he was all right to carry on.”

Explaining Read’s withdrawal, Robertson said: “Technically he has got a double haematoma. He got two knocks in the same place and he seized up at half-time, so we took him off.

“He went all right when he was on, he went a full 100. I find it incredible that guys like him and Sam can play at that level after such a long time out.”

Read is set to end his international career after this year’s Rugby World Cup and make a move to Japan with Toyota Verblitz.

KEO.co.za News wire is powered by opta