Manawatu Standard

Milner-skudder out for six months

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All Blacks winger Nehe Milnerskud­der has been ruled out for the next six months after injuring his shoulder.

The 26-year-old was forced from the field in the All Blacks win over South Africa at Newlands on Sunday after dislocatin­g his right shoulder.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said Milner-skudder would need surgery, ruling him out for at least six months.

The Hurricanes flyer is the third All Black to succumb to seasonendi­ng shoulder injuries this season, following rookie fullback Jordie Barrett and World Cup-winning loosehead prop Joe Moody into the casualty ward.

The latest setback was Milnerskud­der’s third serious injury in the past 18 months.

In 2016 he dislocated his left shoulder, then broke a bone in his foot in the opening rounds of the Super Rugby competitio­n with the Hurricanes this year.

Milner-skudder won back his All Blacks place midway through the Rugby Championsh­ip after a knee injury ruled out first-choice right wing Israel Dagg.

The Manawatu product made his All Blacks debut in 2015 but was out of test rugby for almost two years until he made his return in September, 2017, in an unfamiliar left wing role against Argentina in New Plymouth.

With Dagg injured, Milnerskud­der returned to his regular right flank for the 57-0 drubbing of South Africa at Albany, but Waisake Naholo played in the No 14 jersey against the Pumas in Buenos Aires.

The Cape Town clash was only Milner-skudder’s 11th test appearance.

The injury is a bitter blow as he was starting to show glimpses of the step, speed and ball handling skills which made him a test sensation in his rookie year in 2015.

Hansen has used four players in the black No 14 jersey this year Dagg, Ben Smith, Naholo and Milnerskud­der.

With Smith on sabbatical, Naholo gets a chance to have an extended run in the role on the All Blacks’ fourmatch European tour next month.

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