All Black wing Reece confirmed to be out for season

Crusaders winger Sevu Reece has been ruled out for the rest of the season after confirmation he suffered an ACL injury against the Blues.

The 26-year-old was forced from the field early in the second half at Eden Park after a croc roll-type of cleanout by fellow All Black teammate Rieko Ioane removed Reece from a ruck.

He limped from the field with medical attention after the twisting motion awkwardly caught his leg in the process.

The serious knee injury will mean Reece will miss his second World Cup after breaking into the All Blacks‘ starting side in 2019 ahead of the event in Japan.

“It’s a hard one, for him and the whole club because he is so important to us,” Crusaders coach Scott Robertson said about the injury.

“Really feel for him. He’s been incredible for us. A lot of hard work will get him back to where he was beforehand, a world-class wing.

Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson said that the incident was looked at post-match but wasn’t worthy of citing despite not being ‘nice’.

“There are clear protocols and follow-ups from the TMO, and they can look in retrospect from the match officer, and they found it was OK,” Robertson said.

“It wasn’t a nice incident, was it?”

The diagnosis is a further blow for the Crusaders who have been hit hard with injuries this season.

Reece is one of eight All Blacks sidelined currently, and joins prop Fletcher Newell and lock Mitchell Dunshea as Crusaders who will miss the rest of the season.

Former Hurricane Pepesana Patafilo started in the 14 jersey last week in Reece’s absence.

The Fijian-born wing has 46 tries for the Crusaders in 56 appearances, which is second on the all-time list for the club and just 14 shy of Israel Folau’s record.

Contracted until the end of 2024, Reece will have the opportunity to reach the top of the Crusaders’ list next season and surpass Caleb Ralph who has 52.