Mo'unga to be 'fully fit and available' to face South Africa

September 11, 2019
1623
Ultimate Rugby

All Blacks' head coach Steve Hansen and his fellow selectors have confirmed that playmaker Richie Mo'unga will be "fully fit and available" for the clash with the Springboks on September 21.

Mo'unga arrived in Japan under an injury cloud after sustaining a shoulder injury in the Bledisloe Cup win over the Wallabies at Eden Park last month. The Crusaders' first five also missed the All Blacks final Rugby World Cup warm-up game against Tonga this past weekend.

All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster fronted the media in Kashiwa on Wednesday and told reporters Mo'unga wasn't far off being selected for the clash with Tonga in Hamilton.

"Last week we sort of said we pulled him out more precautionary, so this week's about him graduating back into full training," Foster told reporters on Wednesday.

"He's tracking really, really well."

When quizzed whether Mo'unga would be fit the Pool B clash against South Africa, Foster was confident he would be ready to go.

"[We] expect him to be fully fit and available," he told reporters.