All Blacks hit with injuries ahead of Northern tour

NEWS: The All Blacks have made three forced changes to their touring squad for the 2024 Challenge Cup match against Japan and the Northern Tour.

Coach Scott Robertson brought in two Under-21 players, Peter Lakai and Josh Lord, as cover for the injured Ethan Blackadder (calf), Luke Jacobson (fractured thumb) and Dalton Papali’i (upper hamstring).

The three injured players will not travel with the squad on Thursday.

“This is hugely disappointing for Ethan, Luke, and Dalton, but we know they will be working on recovering well with a view to making themselves available again as soon as possible,” Robertson said.

“This opens up opportunities for some other players though. We are excited to be welcoming Josh back into the group and giving Peter Lakai his chance to wear the All Blacks jersey.”

These players will then join the All Blacks XV squad in Ireland, with the possible exception of one further call-up to cover the 36th spot in the All Blacks squad.

“We will assess the status of Ethan, Luke, and Dalton’s injuries prior to traveling to England, to determine whether we are going to require that additional injury cover,” Robertson said.

In addition, seven members of the All Blacks XV squad will be traveling to Japan with the All Blacks as training cover:

Forwards:
Bradley Slater (Hooker)
George Bower (Prop)
Fabian Holland (Lock)
Christian Lio-Willie (Loose forward)
Oliver Haig (Loose forward)
Backs:
Harry Plummer (Flyhalf)
AJ Lam (Mid-fielder)

The upcoming fixtures for the All Blacks are as follows:

Saturday, October 26:  All Blacks vs Japan, Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
Sunday, November 3: All Blacks vs England, Twickenham Stadium, London
Saturday, November 9: All Blacks vs Ireland, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sunday, November 17: All Blacks vs France, Stade de France, Paris
Sunday, November 24: All Blacks vs Italy, Allianz Stadium, Turin