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The New England Free Jacks have been hit with a triple-dose of bad news. Club captain Josh Larsen has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, while fellow Canadian lock Conor Keys and Namibian No8 Wian Conradie have received one-game suspensions.
Larsen dislocated a shoulder in the home opener against Old Glory DC last month. Scans have since revealed that surgical repair is required which brings a premature end to the campaign for the 29-year-old. Mitch Jacobson has assumed the match day leadership, while another Canadian second row, Reegan O’Gorman, is nearing a return from a knee injury suffered in the preseason.
Keys and Conradie have each been suspended for the same incident at a lineout during the 34th minute of Friday’s match against Utah. The two forward were cited for taking out the lifting pod which resulted in Warriors lock Jamie Lane crashing to the ground. He subsequently failed an HIA. A yellow card was issued to Keys on the play but Conradie was not immediately penalised.
Initially a mid-range sanction was recommended but after a lengthy review it was downgraded to low end. As a result the two players will miss this weekend’s game against Chicago and will be free to play in the road match against the Toronto Arrows on April 15. A video of the incident can be seen below.
Here is the incident that resulted in 1-game suspensions for Conor Keys and Wian Conradie. Keep an eye on the lifting pod at the lineout. #MLR2023 pic.twitter.com/mWJbGBdoz9
— Bryan Ray (@raysrugby) April 7, 2023
