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‘‘Gutted’’ All Blacks loose forward Luke Jacobson has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup with ongoing concussion issues.
The bolter of coach Steve Hansen’s squad, he will be replaced by Tasman’s Shannon Frizell.
Jacobson, 22, has been withdrawn from the tournament after suffering a delayed onset of concussion.
Hansen said the Waikato loosie had not presented with any signs of concussion after the Tonga test last Saturday, but developed symptoms after the first training session in Japan this week.
‘‘After discussing this latest episode with Luke, as well as our medical team, the decision has been made to, sadly, withdraw him from the tournament,’’ Hansen said.
‘‘We all felt that the best thing for him to do is to take a break from rugby until he is symptom-free and ready to return to rugby.
‘‘While it was a tough conversation to have, ultimately it was a very simple decision.
‘‘We have a duty of care to look after our players and Luke’s health is the most important thing above anything else.’’
Jacobson said he was ‘‘gutted to be missing the Rugby World Cup’’, yet he understood why that should be.
‘‘I completely understand that this decision has been made with my health and best interests at heart,’’ he said.
‘‘To be honest, I’ve been feeling pretty good when I’ve just been doing my normal thing around the hotel but it’s probably more when I go to training.
‘‘When I start to try and run around, pass the ball around sort of thing, then I really start to feel it,’’ Jacobson said at the All Blacks media conference in Japan yesterday.
‘‘Just dizziness, light-headedness. You just don’t feel quite right.
‘‘I’m feeling 98 per cent OK, I know I’m still not quite right and by taking a break now, I’ll give myself the opportunity to continue my career in the future.
‘‘I wish the team all the very best and will be with them all the way.’’
Jacobson will stay with the All Blacks until he is symptom-free and ready to fly home.
Vaea Fifita and Dalton Papalii weren’t considered for selection because of injury, Hansen said.
It was widely considered off-load specialist Jacobson had won his place at the expense of Liam Squire, yet it is Frizell who is Tokyo-bound.
Squire chose to make himself unavailable for the All Blacks during the Rugby Championship, last month saying he didn’t feel ‘‘physically or mentally’’ ready for the pressures of test rugby.
‘‘If the All Blacks do get injuries, and I’m performing well enough, then I’m 100 per cent available,’’ he said.
‘‘The decision has been bloody hard but I feel it’s the best one for me and the All Blacks. I wish the team every success and am behind them 100 per cent.’’
Three weeks ago Jacobson told Stuff he was ‘‘feeling sweet as’’ after his third concussion in 13 months.
His latest head knock was likely suffered from a blow while holding tackle pads for juiced up team-mates in the warm-up for last month’s South Africa test in Wellington.
‘‘On the pads can be pretty brutal,’’ Jacobson said.
He made his test debut the week before the 16-16 draw with the Springboks, when he played 23 minutes off the bench in the 20-16 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires on July 21.
But he did not travel to Perth for the opening Bledisloe Cup test after suffering from headaches.
There was concern for Jacobson’s wellbeing because of two concussions suffered since last July.
The first led to an eight-month absence and he missed all of Waikato’s last Mitre 10 Cup campaign.
The second was picked up after a knock at Chiefs training in May and he didn’t play in their last five games in Super Rugby.