All Blacks captain Ardie Savea will have surgery on the shoulder he dislocated in South Africa, and New Zealand Rugby cannot yet say when he will play again.
New Zealand Rugby released an injury update on Monday 21 September covering the players hurt on the long tour of South Africa and the United States. It said Savea’s dislocated shoulder would require surgery and that his likely return to play was “to be determined following surgery”, the NZ Herald reported.
No timeframe was attached, but the usual recovery from this kind of operation is long. The Otago Daily Times noted that surgery on a dislocated shoulder normally needs four to six months of rehabilitation, and RNZ said a return before the end of 2026 looks unlikely. The Associated Press, in a report carried by Yahoo Sports, went further and said the 32-year-old likely won’t play again this year.
That rules Savea out of the two Bledisloe Cup tests against Australia next month. The All Blacks host the Wallabies at Eden Park on Saturday 10 October, and the return match is at Accor Stadium in Sydney a week later on 17 October. New Zealand have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003. The operation also puts his place in the Nations Championship matches at the end of the year in serious doubt.
Savea was hurt in the first half of the third test against the Springboks at FNB Stadium in Soweto on 5 September. He had scored both of New Zealand’s first-half tries before he left the field, and the All Blacks went on to lose that match 29-24. 1News reported on 15 September that he would miss the Bledisloe series and probably the rest of the test year. Monday’s update is the first confirmation that he needs an operation.
He flew home from South Africa and missed the series finale in Baltimore, where the Springboks won 43-28 to take the four-test series three to one. Hooker Codie Taylor captained the side that day, as he had in the early weeks of the tour.
Savea is far from the only casualty. The tour was the All Blacks’ first full tour of South Africa since 1996, and it has left coach Dave Rennie with a long list of injured players to work around as he picks a squad for Australia.
Loose forward Luke Jacobson, who took over the captaincy in Soweto after Savea went off, damaged a tendon in his elbow in the same match. He has already had surgery and is expected back in four to five months. Wing Caleb Clarke ruptured a shoulder tendon and is out for about five months.
Midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown hurt his knee in Baltimore and is out for up to six weeks, which puts the Bledisloe tests at risk for him too. Billy Proctor fractured his shoulder blade and has a similar four to six week recovery. Ollie Norris has a knee cartilage injury and is not expected back until the Super Rugby pre-season.
There is better news in the midfield and at halfback. Quinn Tupaea, who injured the medial collateral ligament in his knee in Soweto, is expected back within one to two weeks, which would make him available to face Australia. Halfback Cortez Ratima, who has a knee ligament injury, and loose forward Anton Segner, who has ankle inflammation, are on the same one to two week timeline. Lock George Bell has recovered from a calf injury and has already played for Canterbury in the NPC.
The loss of both Savea and Jacobson leaves a large hole in the loose forwards. 1News reported last week that Ethan Blackadder was in line for the number seven jersey and Peter Lakai was favoured at number eight. Blackadder made his first start of the series in Baltimore and scored a try.
Several of the players who travelled to the United States will now get game time in the NPC before the Bledisloe squad assembles. The Herald reported that ten All Blacks from the Baltimore squad are available to their provinces this weekend. Timoci Tavatavanawai and Noah Hotham can play for Tasman against Bay of Plenty at Trafalgar Park in Nelson on Thursday, with Pasilio Tosi, Fehi Fineanganofo and Emoni Narawa available for Bay of Plenty. Simon Parker can play for Northland in their Ranfurly Shield defence against Counties Manukau on Saturday, and Josh Lord is an option for Taranaki against Hawke’s Bay in Napier on Sunday.
For Savea the timing is hard. Rennie named him captain in June in his first squad as All Blacks coach, and he is one of the most experienced players in the side, with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia now a little over a year away. New Zealand Rugby has not named a replacement captain for the Bledisloe tests. Taylor, who led the side in Baltimore, and lock Patrick Tuipulotu, who captained midweek sides on tour, are the obvious options.
The bigger question is whether a long rehabilitation over the New Zealand summer leaves Savea ready for the start of the 2027 season, when the World Cup build-up begins in earnest. New Zealand Rugby says it will know more once the surgery is done.
Who should lead the All Blacks against the Wallabies at Eden Park, and who fills the loose forward gap? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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