All Blacks ‘damage’ report as Jordie Barrett provides a timeline for his return as rookie earns a call-up
Split with Jordie Barrett and Chay Fihaki.
All Blacks centre and vice-captain Jordie Barrett has been ruled out of the second Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia in Wellington with a knee injury.
Barrett limped off the pitch last weekend as the All Blacks claimed a narrow 31-28 win and has since confirmed on an Instagram story that he will be out for four to six weeks, meaning he could be in doubt for the November Tests.
MCL damage
The All Blacks also confirmed the youngest of the Barretts suffered damage to the medial collateral ligament in his knee.
“Jordie Barrett’s injury is confirmed as a medial collateral ligament. He is out for this weekend and will be reassessed before the northern tour,” said the All Blacks media manager.
Replacements
Uncapped Crusader Chay Fihaki has been brought into the squad as injury cover but head coach Scott Robertson will likely turn to more experienced options for Bledisloe II.
Anton Lienert-Brown is a strong candidate to take on the 12 shirt after having several strong cameos off the bench in the Razor era. The 29-year-old who is comfortable in either centre position boasts vast experience in the form of 70+ caps for his age and is a safe bet to throw into the side.
Another option is a player Robertson knows very well from Crusaders days, David Havili. The centre was at the heart of a serial winning Crusaders backline under the All Blacks coach and Razor will know exactly what he is getting from the star.
However, an injury-disrupted year means Havili is yet to return to Test-worthy form.
After the Bledisloe II Test, the All Blacks will face Japan, England, Ireland, France and Italy on their northern tour that begins on October 26.
