Four All Blacks have been ruled out of the second Bledisloe Cup test against Australia in Sydney due to injury, with RNZ reporting that wing Leroy Carter, hooker Asafo Aumua, loose forward Anton Segner, and loose forward Ethan Blackadder will miss the upcoming fixture at Accor Stadium.
The squad changes ahead of Saturday’s match follow a heavy 50-19 victory at Eden Park. Carter suffered a high ankle sprain while scoring a late try and left the stadium on crutches with a badly swollen left ankle. The injury occurred following a “hip drop” tackle by Wallabies loose forward Rob Valetini. While World Rugby outlawed the tackle technique last week, the ban does not officially take effect until November 1.
Carter is likely to face a long-term absence that threatens his availability for next month’s Nations Championship tests in the United Kingdom. Midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown has replaced him in the squad for Sydney.
Concussion Protocols and Squad Adjustments
Aumua failed a second head injury assessment following Saturday’s match. He must now serve a mandatory 12-day concussion stand-down. Segner was similarly sidelined after joining the test off the reserves bench.
George Bell has stepped in to replace Aumua at hooker. Meanwhile, Du’Plessis Kirifi replaces Segner, marking the Hurricanes co-captain’s first inclusion in the All Blacks squad this year after missing selection for the recent tour of South Africa.
Blackadder sustained a calf injury during the pre-match warm-up, though team management does not consider the issue serious. Lock Jamie Hannah has replaced Blackadder for the trip across the Tasman.
| Player | Position | Injury Type | Sydney Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leroy Carter | Wing | High ankle sprain | Anton Lienert-Brown |
| Asafo Aumua | Hooker | Concussion (failed HIA) | George Bell |
| Anton Segner | Loose Forward | Concussion | Du’Plessis Kirifi |
| Ethan Blackadder | Loose Forward | Calf injury | Jamie Hannah |
Building Depth Ahead of the World Cup
Amid the injury disruptions, lock Scott Barrett received clearance after passing a second head injury assessment. He has traveled with the squad to Sydney.
Speaking to reporters at Auckland airport on Sunday morning, All Blacks attack coach Mike Blair addressed the inclusion of Kirifi. It’s great that we get this opportunity to look at him. He’s not been in with the group yet. But for us to get to know him a little bit more – his personality, his leadership, the impact he can have on the group is exciting for him and exciting for us as well,
Blair said.
Blair pointed to the broader value of the team’s provincial matches this year in establishing resilience. The provincial matches that we played allowed us to look at players and see them within our systems. We know how physical the game is these days… it’s unfortunate that [the injuries have] happened but it’s a brilliant opportunity to build depth before the World Cup,
he noted.
