All Blacks suffer untimely injury blow that will test squad depth in the Rugby Championship

All Blacks captain Scott Barrett has undergone surgery on his finger which was injured in their 47-5 win over Fiji in San Diego.

Barrett has started in all three Tests of 2024 as new head coach Scott Robertson picked the second-row as skipper of the All Blacks thanks to their partnership in Crusaders colours.

The timeline for how long the second-row will be sidelined is yet to be announced and, while Barrett may well miss the beginning of the Rugby Championship, he will likely still be named in the All Blacks squad set to be announced on Sunday. It is expected that Ardie Savea will lead the team in his absence.

Second-row crisis

Robertson will be hoping that his captain can return as soon as possible considering how thin the stocks at second-row already are as the All Blacks look to process life without the legendary duo of Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick.

With Barrett out, Patrick Tuipulotu will probably be joined in the second-row by rising star Tupou Vaa’i, who has shown some growth but still has some way to go on the Test scene.

There is also the newly capped Sam Darry, who showed some class on debut against Fiji. He certainly looks like he will win a fair number of caps in his career but perhaps it is a bit soon to throw him into a starting XV.

These are all concerns for Robertson and his coaching team as the All Blacks get their campaign in the premier Southern Hemisphere tournament underway with two home Tests against Los Pumas in Wellington and at Eden Park before a two-Test tour to South Africa.

Jordie Barrett’s candid verdict on Ardie Savea swapping Hurricanes for Moana Pasifika

New Zealand Rugby Championship fixtures

New Zealand v Argentina
Date: Saturday, 10 August
Venue: SKY Stadium, Wellington
Local kick-off: 19:05
GMT kick-off: 07:05

New Zealand v Argentina
Date: Saturday, 17 August
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Local kick-off: 19:05
GMT kick-off: 7:05

South Africa v New Zealand
Date: Saturday, 31 August
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Local kick-off: 17:00
GMT kick-off: 15:00
NZL kick-off: 3:00 (Sunday, 1 September)

South Africa v New Zealand
Date: Saturday, 7 September
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Local kick-off: 17:00
GMT kick-off: 15:00
NZL kick-off: 3:00 (Sunday, 8 September)

Australia v New Zealand
Date: Saturday, 21 September
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Local kick-off: 15:55
GMT kick-off: 5:55
NZL kick-off: 17:55

New Zealand v Australia
Date: Saturday, 28 September
Venue: SKY Stadium, Wellington
Local kick-off: 19:05
GMT kick-off: 7:05

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