Jordie Barrett in doubt for All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup opener against France

Smooth sailing has turned to turbulent waters for the good ship All Blacks ahead of their World Cup opener, with a major injury cloud hanging over midfield muscle man Jordie Barrett for the clash against the tournament hosts.

Assistant coach (defence) Scott McLeod delivered just the news All Blacks fans did not want to hear in Lyon late Monday (NZT) when he confirmed Barrett could now miss the highly anticipated clash between these two long-time World Cup heavyweights (Saturday morning NZT) because of a knee “niggle” that prevented him training at the start of the week.

The All Blacks are already set to be without a trio of first-choice selections in lock Brodie Retallick, flanker Shannon Frizell and prop Tyrel Lomax for the hugely anticipated clash against France, and Barrett’s potential defection would be a serious blow as the New Zealanders look to bounce back from the record defeat to South Africa in their final warmup match at Twickenham.

Barrett will be given every chance to shake off the problem, which Mcleod could not put down to any particular incident in training or even the 35-7 Boks bashing in London, but the conservative assistant coach’s language made it clear the New Zealanders were certainly preparing for the worst.

Barrett and Rieko Ioane have been the preferred midfield starting combination since head coach Ian Foster moved Barrett to No 12 (from fullback) following last year’s Bledisloe thriller in Melbourne when David Havili and Quinn Tupaea both went down with injury.

Since then, they started four of the five remaining tests of 2022 as part of a super-sized midfield, and then four of the five outings in 2023, with the second Bledisloe in Dunedin (which both sat out) the sole exception. They’ve been mostly effective as a duo bristling with go-forward.

“He’s got a niggle in his left knee,” explained McLeod of Barrett’s spectator role at Monday’s training in Lyon. “We’re just taking precautions really. He doesn’t have to train today.

”It’s still early in the week, so we’ll wait and see how he responds today and tomorrow to a little bit more treatment,” added the defence guru of the chance the younger Barrett could sit out the opener at Stade de France. “It’s just a niggle he picked up along the way, and he’s just felt it a little bit more this week.”

McLeod said the All Blacks always prepared their whole squad to play through a test week, and he was confident that any midfield change-up, if required, would be taken in stride. They have proven performers in Havili (25 tests) and Anton Lienert-Brown (63) both more than capable of slotting in alongside Ioane in the No 12 jersey.

“He has been really important to our play,’ added McLeod. “However we trust our full squad and we’re going to have to in this World Cup. If [change] happens, we trust anybody who fills that jersey.”

The All Blacks cope well enough with Retallick’s PCL injury, with Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock capable of filling rhe void effectively, providing there is no repeat of the card trouble that saw Barrett shown red against the Boks at Twickenham.

But Lomax’s deep cut to his leg forces a change at prop just when things looked pretty settled with he and Ethan de Groot, while Frizell’s likely absence with a hamstring issue leaves the All Blacks tossing up between Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papalii or a makeshift type such as Tupou Vaa’i at No 6 to face the French.

The hosts, though, are also set to be down at least a quartet of top performers with injured lock Paul Willemse replaced in the squad by controversial callup Bastien Chalureau, following the earlier decision to leave star No 10 Romain Ntamack out after he picked up a serious knee injury in the buildup campaign.

The French are also set to be without prop Cyril Baille (calf) and flanker Anthony Jelonch (knee) for the All Blacks clash as they work towards a late-pool timeline, while powerful centre Jonathan Danty will also miss the tournament opener as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

McLeod steered well clear of the controversy hovering around Chalureau’s callup for the World Cup squad on the back of a conviction for a racist attack in 2020. Some in France believe he should not have been included, though coach Fabien Galthié was not among them as he vowed his players would take the fuss in their stride: “The World Cup isn’t for wimps. You have to be strong.”

Chalureau has long denied the nature of the attack and Galthié referred to this as he staunchly defended his selection. “For four years, racism has had no place in our team, it has no place in rugby,” he said. “Integrity is a fundamental value of our team and our sport. Bastien has informed us of this affair and firmly and formally denies the allegations.”

All McLeod knows is that the French are stacked with ability among their second rowers, regardless of who plays. “They have a number of top-quality locks, and we’re not focusing on any one player,” he said. “But I wasn’t aware of any controversy his selection has caused.”

Saturday‘s clash is expected to provide a rip-roaring start to the World Cup between the in-form hosts and an All Blacks outfit needing to bounce back to form quickly. The pity is neither are going to be anywhere near their best in terms of personnel available.