Rennie confirms All Blacks loose forward will miss rest of RGR series
REACTION: All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has confirmed Anton Segner will take no further part in the Greatest Rivalry series after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury.
The All Blacks maintained their unbeaten run in the series after edging out the Lions 41-35 in a nervy and entertaining affair at Ellis Park on Tuesday.
After trailing at halftime, the Kiwis scored four tries in the second half to seal the win ahead of the second Test in Cape Town on Saturday.
After the match, Rennie confirmed there were no injuries sustained but provided an update on Anton Segner.
Segner was selected on the bench to face the Springboks in the opening Test last week, which New Zealand won 33-16.
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#REPORT: The Lions can take plenty of positives from a performance that saw them score the most points against the All Blacks on the tour so far.#Rugby #Sports #Lions #NewZealand https://t.co/PZS1DnQyyH
— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) August 25, 2026
He was withdrawn hours before the game and replaced by Simon Parker. The All Blacks confirmed that Segner had a swollen ankle which had been assessed as “acute inflammatory arthritis”.
On Sunday, Rennie said the 25-year-old had been to the hospital for another check-up. He has since provided the latest on the loose forward.
“He had a little bit of a keyhole surgery just to wash out an infection,” he said.
“So, he will come with us to Cape Town, but he won’t take part in the rest of the tour.”
When asked whether a replacement would be called up, Rennie said:
“No. The feeling is now that we’re beyond the mid-week games, we’ve got enough loose forwards to pick from.”
The All Blacks were also forced into a late change before the Lions game after prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi withdrew due to illness.
He was replaced by Xavia Numia, becoming yet another casualty for the visitors on tour.
Despite the number of injuries that have hit his side, though, Rennie is optimistic his squad depth will hold up until the week of the series.
“There are challenges, obviously, trying to play a lot of games in a short period of time.
“The last few days have been busy. We were hoping Ofa [Tu’ungafasi] would mean we didn’t have to use Xavia today; unfortunately, he was crook [sick].
“He’s running a little bit of a fever, and we felt it wouldn’t be wise to try and play him.
“Now that we’re beyond this game, we’ve got 40-odd players to pick from, so we’ve got a fair number of fresh bodies heading into the weekend.
“I think four or five of the guys who played tonight will potentially back up or start, but once we get to Test three and Test four, you’ve got a full week of preparation and plenty of numbers.
“It’s the nature of the game; it’s our fifth game over here now, playing against big physical men, there’s going to be a little bit of carnage in that.”
Rennie will name his squad to face the Springboks in the second Test on Thursday.
