Jordie Barrett, a renowned back for the All Blacks, will be sidelined for the upcoming rematch against Australia due to a confirmed medial collateral ligament injury in his knee, as a result of Saturday’s skirmish in Sydney. The versatile central player, who had to leave the field at the end of the first half during their 31-28 victory against the Wallabies, will be evaluated further to determine if he can participate in the future tours of Japan and Europe scheduled for October and November.
The All Blacks have a game against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Friday, November 8th, after which Barrett is set to join Leinster in December for a brief stint. With Barrett out of the picture, his substitute Anton Lienert-Brown, who replaced him as the inside centre in the second half at Stadium Australia last weekend, will likely reprise his role for the final New Zealand test in the Rugby Championship in Wellington this Saturday. Another possible candidate for midfield would be David Havili from Scott Robertson’s team.
The All Blacks, already experiencing a shortage with outside back Ruben Love out due to a thigh injury, have called upon the yet-to-be-capped utility Chay Fihaki as a substitute for the backline. During the previous game in Sydney, Will Jordan was hastily moved to fullback due to the sudden illness of Beauden Barrett, Jordie’s brother and two-time world player of the year. However, he is likely to be fit for this Saturday’s match.
Moreover, Fletcher Newell, the tighthead prop, is back in the team after being absent from the Australian tour due to a calf injury he picked up during a game in Cape Town earlier this month. The All Blacks have recently suffered several setbacks, including two surprise defeats in South Africa and a stinging home defeat to Argentina, which means they won’t be holding onto their Rugby championship title this season. Despite this, they did manage to retain the Bledisloe Cup in Sydney last weekend. The All Blacks have had a poor showing in Wellington, not winning any of their last five matches since 2018.
Following the grudge match this Saturday, the All Blacks are to travel to Japan for a match in Yokohama on October 26th before heading off to Europe to face England, Ireland, France, and Italy in the November tests.
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