MY ACCOUNT
New Zealand could contest Brodie Retallick’s red card in the win over Japan on Saturday as he faces the prospect of being banned for their tour of Europe.
The towering lock was dismissed for a dangerous clean-out on loose forward Kazuki Himeno in the 65th minute of the All Blacks’ 38-31 victory.
New Zealand held on to avoid an upset, but they were far from convincing at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
The Rugby Championship winners will now travel to face Wales, Scotland and England next month, with a Test against Wayne Pivac’s side first up at the Principality Stadium next Saturday.
Head coach Ian Foster says the All Blacks will consider whether to lodge an appeal in a bid to prevent Retallick from being ruled out of those encounters.
He said: “We’re going to have a good look at it. I certainly didn’t see any intention apart from trying to move a body. That’s a process we’ll have to go through.”
Retallick scored the first of five All Blacks tries, while 13 points came from the boot of Richie Mo’unga.
Foster was content with the way New Zealand dug in to see off the Brave Blossoms.
“I thought it was a day where we could have panicked a little bit,” he said.
“But I thought they hung in there well and did what they needed to do at the right time.”
Japan will now prepare to do battle with England at Twickenham on November 12 and head coach Jamie Joseph is relishing what he expects to be a bigger challenge.
He said: “The key for us really is to go to England now and replicate that performance against a better side.”
