All Blacks’ hybrid experiment put on the back burner after Leicester Fainga’anuku’s broken leg with Springboks series also in doubt
Crusaders star Leicester Fainga'anuku and All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie.
All Blacks star Leicester Fainga’anuku will miss the next three months after suffering a broken leg while playing for the Crusaders last weekend.
The 26-year-old was replaced before the interval of their heavy 49-12 Super Rugby Pacific semi-final defeat to the Chiefs with Dominic Gardiner coming on in his place.
It has now been revealed that Fainga’anuku sustained a lower leg fracture and will therefore not be named in Dave Rennie’s squad for the Nations Championship.
Crusaders statement on Fainga’anuku
“Leicester Fainga’anuku sustained a fibula fracture and high ankle sprain in the Crusaders’ semi-final against the Chiefs on Friday, June 12,” a Crusaders statement read.
“He doesn’t require surgery for this injury and his anticipated return to play will be 10-12 weeks.”
Fainga’anuku was set to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Levani Botia and Andre Esterhuizen and become the sport’s latest hybrid player.
The usual wing or centre began moving into the forwards while playing in France for Toulon before the Christchurch outfit went a step further and started him at openside flanker in the second half of their season.
Having made his back-row bow against the Waratahs in late-April, Fainga’anuku would then be selected in that position for their next five games, including in both play-off matches against the Blues and Chiefs.
He was set to be included in the All Blacks squad for the Nations Championship, which will be named after the Super Rugby showpiece between the Hurricanes and Chiefs, but he will now miss the Tests against France, Italy and Ireland.
The hybrid player will also be absent for the start of the Greatest Rivalry series in South Africa and is a doubt for the first three Tests versus the Springboks.
It is a blow for the player, Rennie and the All Blacks, who would have no doubt used the next few internationals to experiment with his best role at the highest level.
Ex-All Black’s take on Fainga’anuku’s Test role
While starting at flanker for New Zealand might have been a stretch, he would have been a vital utility option for the side in the Nations Championship.
That is what All Blacks Rugby World Cup Stephen Donald stated last month when offering his opinion on the Aftermatch with Kirst and Beav, believing that he could bring real balance to the 23.
“From an All Black point of view, there’s been so much talk about the 6-2 split and us being copycats, and we need to copy everything South Africa does, but the great thing about Leicester is we don’t need to,” Donald said in May.
“You can have your 5-3 split knowing full well that if you want to do something a little bit different with who you’re covering on the bench with the forwards, you’ve got Leicester there who can cover a couple of those positions.
“Leicester gives you things no one outside Leicester can do, as far as forwards go – bar Ardie [Savea] last year for Moana. He does do these off the cuff kicks which if a midfielder was doing it you would go, ‘it’s a nice bit of work’, but because he’s doing it with a number seven on his back…”
