Tupaea ruled out for three months
All Blacks midfielder Quinn Tupaea won’t play rugby again this year after a controversial shot from Wallabies lock Darcy Swain – leaving the New Zealanders a major head-scratcher at No 12 for their Rugby Championship finale at Eden Park next Saturday.
Coach Ian Foster yesterday confirmed Tupaea would be sidelined for at least three months after suffering a ruptured medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Thursday’s Bledisloe Cup win.
He also suffered a partial anterior cruciate ligament tear, Foster said, but he was unsure whether his replacement outside back would need surgery. ‘‘We’ll wait and see whether its operable or whether he rehabs,’’ said the coach. ‘‘But he is crushed. Injuries like this are always disappointing for the players.’’
Swain received a yellow card for the incident, a poorly-executed cleanout which saw him smash into the midfielder’s extended left leg at a ruck. Foster said Swain had been cited, and will face a judicial hearing, and after declaring postgame he had ‘‘a big issue’’ with the play, added yesterday: ‘‘We just let the process happen now. That’s the game, rules are rules, and we sit back and watch with interest.’’
Coaches Foster and Dave Rennie disagreed post-game over the nature of Swain’s breakdown challenge.
‘‘I’m not convinced about Darcy’s [yellow card],’’ said Rennie. ‘‘It was certainly nothing intentional.’’
But Foster countered: ‘‘You’re not allowed to target legs on the side at cleanout past the ball. The rules are pretty clear.’’
Fellow midfielder David Havili, meanwhile, is effectively ruled out of next Saturday’s return test at Eden Park after he failed a head injury assessment (HIA) on the night and now enters the standard 12-day concussion protocol.
Captain Sam Cane’s situation is not so clear after he came off in the first half with concussion symptoms. ‘‘He wasn’t tested at the ground, was tested late last night and passed. So we’ll review,’’ added Foster who confirmed loose forwards Ardie Savea (baby duty) and Shannon Frizell (ribs) would rejoin the squad in Auckland.
With Tupaea and Havili both out for Eden Park, regular fullback Jordie Barrett will likely start at second five-eighth.