Another All Blacks player will play no further part in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series due to injury.
Loose forward Anton Segner missed Tuesday’s 41-35 victory over the Lions at Ellis Park after being withdrawn from the match 23 for last Saturday’s win over the Springboks due to a swollen ankle.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie confirmed that the German-born flanker underwent surgery and will remain with the squad, but will not play again on the tour.
Segner, who made his New Zealand debut against Italy on 11 July and was named Man of the Match against the Vodacom Bulls last week, will now watch from the sidelines as the All Blacks gear up for the second Test of the series.
“He had keyhole surgery just to wash out an infection, so he’ll come with us to Cape Town, but he won’t take part in the rest of the tour,” Rennie told reporters post-match.
RECAP: Unbeaten All Blacks edge brave Lions
“Our feeling is that now we’re beyond the midweek games, we’ve got enough loose forwards to pick from [and won’t call up a replacement].”
New Zealand completed a clean sweep of the South African clubs with Tuesday’s result, having already beaten the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls.
Rennie also explained the decision to rule prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi out before kick-off after he fell ill.
FIRST TAKE: Lions tear up All Blacks’ red carpet
“We were hoping Ofa would mean we didn’t have to use Xavier [Numia] today, but unfortunately he’s running a bit of a fever, and we felt it wouldn’t be wise to try and play him.”
With the All Blacks now looking to make it 2-0 in the four-Test meetings, Rennie believes the squad has sufficient depth to manage the demands of the tour.
“We have a fair number of fresh bodies heading into the weekend, with four or five of the guys who played tonight potentially backing up or starting.
“Once we get to Test three and Test four, you’ve got a full week of preparation and plenty of numbers, so it’s just the nature of the game,” the Kiwi boss concluded.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Tour over for All Blacks star appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Another All Blacks player will play no further part in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series due to injury.
The post Tour over for All Blacks star appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
