Ikitau out of Sydney Bledisloe but Valetini to avoid hip-drop scrutiny

The Wallabies will be without star centre Len Ikitau for the second Bledisloe Cup clash in Sydney on Saturday, but a three-week delay in World Rugby outlawing hip drop tackles is set to help key backrower Rob Valetini avoid a potential suspension that could have even stretched into the team’s spring tour of Europe.

The squad updates for Bledisloe II came as Wallabies coach Les Kiss and players said a 50-19 loss to the All Blacks in Auckland will not damage the belief of the side, something that has been forged over the past 30 months.

The Wallabies and All Blacks both shifted to Sydney on Sunday ahead of a return clash at Accor Stadium next Saturday afternoon. Both sides are set for reshuffles at the selection table.

The Wallabies will be without key No.12 Ikitau, who failed an HIA and left the game after 30 minutes at Eden Park. Isaac Henry and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii finished the game as a midfield duo, and with Hunter Paisami suspended, that partnership is likely to continue.

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie said Scott Barrett also failed an HIA and was in doubt, and winger Leroy Carter is all but certain to miss the Sydney match after injuring his left ankle while scoring a try in the second half.

The circumstances of the injury were contentious, given Valetini appeared to trap Carter’s ankle in a tackle from behind while trying to stop the try.

“It didn’t look good, sort of like a … hip-drop type tackle, [which] landed on the back side of his ankle. I haven’t had a chance to talk to the doc yet, but it looked reasonably serious,” Rennie said post-game.

Rennie said he would “leave that for the officials” when asked about judicial scrutiny on hip-drops, but added he was sure it wasn’t intentional from Valetini, a player he coached for several years.

Valetini will not come under any scrutiny from the SANZAAR match review panel, however, given the hip-drop is still several weeks away from being officially banned in rugby.

World Rugby announced last week that it was amending its regulation 9.13, which covers dangerous tackles, to include hip-drop tackles. It came after heavy lobbying from Rugby Australia, following nasty tackles that caused major injuries to stars like Max Jorgensen and Treyvon Pritchard.

“Concern has been raised about rare actions in our game that are known as ‘hip drop tackles.’ They often lead to significant injuries to the ball carrier,” World Rugby said in a statement.

“World Rugby’s Tackle Working Group heard representations about this appearing in rugby union and considered that they have been banned in both American football and rugby league. The Tackle Working Group recommended explicitly banning the action in rugby union as well.”

Valetini’s desperate tackle from behind on Carter appeared to meet some of the criteria published for a hip-drop, and sanctions for dangerous tackles under Law 9.13 start at two match suspensions for low range offences, and mid-range starts at six weeks.

But Valetini won’t face a potential citation because World Rugby also stated the new offence won’t come into effect until November 1.

Meanwhile, the Wallabies say a bad night at the office in Auckland won’t undo all the good work they’ve done in building up confidence and belief this year.

The Wallabies were on an unbeaten run of six games heading into the Eden Park clash, but were blown out of the water in the second half. After New Zealand led 17-14 at halftime, the home team piled on 33-5 points in the second half to secure a 24th straight Bledisloe Cup win.

Asked if the Wallabies’ belief in themselves would be damaged by the big defeat, coach Les Kiss said he didn’t believe so.

“It’s like anything – if you get a knockback, you find out more about yourself, and that’s what we’ll do,” he said.

“We’ll work hard on what we have to do. Belief is created and sustained by not just wins and losses. They’re created by other things. These boys have a strong culture and a strong belief in themselves and a confidence about what they can do.”

Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who played well in an 80-minute effort, echoed the coach’s sentiments.

“Our belief isn’t built just based on wins. Our belief is built through connection throughout the group and our preparation that we do, day in, day out,” he said. “Our confidence isn’t shot at all. We get to have another crack at them next week back in Sydney, so we’re looking forward to that.”

Salakaia-Loto said the Wallabies had their opportunities, but failed to seize the big moments, particularly early in the second half.

“You can’t be letting those opportunities slip against the quality side like the All Blacks, and we know that they’ll punish you for it,” he said. “You don’t get many opportunities against them, so when you do, you’ve got to strike and you’ve got to make the most out of it.”

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