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All Blacks injuries rule Frizell, Lomax and Taukei'aho out of northern tour

Frizell faces about six weeks out with a ruptured knee ligament and Taukei'aho four to six with a torn calf, while Lomax stays home to rest a neck disc injury.

By RuckBee Newsroom1 min read
Injured rugby players in black, one in a neck brace and one on crutches, stand on a grassy hill above a mountain lake.
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New Zealand will head north without three experienced forwards. Prop Tyrel Lomax, hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho and loose forward Shannon Frizell have all been ruled out of the Nations Championship Northern Series with injuries, which leaves the All Blacks short in the front row and the back row for next month's Tests in the United Kingdom.

Two of the three were hurt in the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney. Frizell injured his knee in that match, and a scan showed he had ruptured the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his left knee. The 32-year-old flanker is expected to need about six weeks to recover.

Taukei'aho was hurt in the same game against the Wallabies. The Chiefs hooker tore his gastrocnemius, a calf muscle, as he accelerated away from a maul, and his recovery is expected to take four to six weeks.

Lomax's problem goes back further. Since the Super Rugby season, which ended in June, the prop has been nursing a neck disc injury. Because the injury is still aggravated, he will stay at home so it can settle properly with treatment.

New Zealand Rugby said it is still assessing the other injuries from the Bledisloe Cup series. Coach Dave Rennie's squad for the Northern Series will be named, and will assemble, on Tuesday 27 October.

Sources

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