Winning that first game (last weekend) in South Africa was very important to us.

Conrad is a huge loss to our side and the entire squad really feels for him. You can't easily replace a player of his class.

We feel for the young man. It's an awful thing when a player of great promise has such a run of bad luck from one injury.

We've had his hamstring checked out by a specialist and there's no tear but there is tightness in his back so we'll just let that settle down and have him fit and available for next week.

He's still suffering from the effects of it and we thought it best for him if he returned to New Zealand and made a full recovery. We can't compromise on a player's welfare and health.

He's a player and a man of rare quality and he'll certainly be missed.

They have been playing exceptionally well. They're a young combination developing. Our lineout has been good and it's got a lot to do with Anton Oliver, who has really been hitting the mark. That combination will be crucial again.

It's a big blow to us as a team and obviously to James personally. It's an extremely disappointing thing to happen to a young man with such a promising career.