Jordie Barrett Reveals "A Bit of Damage" in Calf, Targets Northern Tour Return

Jordie Barrett has revealed he was fortunate to miss New Zealand's second Bledisloe Cup Test, after a precautionary scan showed his calf injury was worse than first believed. Barrett was a late withdrawal from Saturday's 43-21 win over Australia in Sydney, with what was announced as a tight calf, and Timoci Tavatavanawai stepped in for his first Test appearance in over a year. Speaking on the KOKO show, the 29-year-old said he had treated the problem as a minor haematoma sustained in the opening minutes of the Eden Park victory before deciding to get it properly checked. "I thought I got a haematoma in the first five or 10 minutes in Auckland and treated it as that all week but asked doc for a scan for peace of mind on Friday and it's just as well I didn't go on, there's a bit of damage there," Barrett said. "I will try to come right for the northern tour." The silver lining, he added, was the opportunity given to others: "It's nice, the silver lining is that other guys get an opportunity and it's good to see Timoci out there having a crack." Barrett praised the Highlander's powerful display against the Wallabies as the All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup for a 24th straight year.