All Black prop Woodcock available to face Wales
Wednesday, 19 Nov 2008 22:53
Henry will have his first-choice prop available against Wales
New Zealand prop Tony Woodcock has been cleared to play against Wales on Saturday despite admitting he was guilty of striking an opponent last weekend.
Woodcock was cited for foul play after the match against Ireland, when he was accused of punching Irish hooker Rory Best.
However, the International Rugby Board's (IRB) judicial officer felt that the offence did not warrant a red card and that there was therefore no need for further disciplinary action.
A statement from the IRB said that Woodcock "admitted that he had committed an act of foul play in that he struck an opponent with his hand", but the judicial officer Professor Lorne Crerar decided that "the act of foul play did not warrant a red card and no further sanction was appropriate".
The All Blacks, who had named three props in their provisional team due to the question marks over Woodcock's availability, have made just one change to the side that faced Ireland ahead of their clash at the Millennium Stadium.
Richard Kahui will replace injured centre Conrad Smith while Woodcock retains his place a loose-head.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry was pleased to be able to chose from a virtually full-strength squad with the inclusion of Woodcock.
Henry, a former Wales coach, expects a tough game from the current Six Nations champions.
"As we all know, Wales are a very good team. They play an expansive style of attacking rugby and have talent across the park, so it's shaping up to be another classic encounter," he said.