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Three All Blacks ruled out of Nations Championship with more uncertain


Shannon Frizell of the All Blacks and Peter Lakai of the All Blacks pose with the Bledisloe Cup after winning The Rugby Championship & Bledisloe Cup match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Australia Wallabies at Eden Park on October 10, 2026 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
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The All Blacks have announced that three players will miss the Northern Tour due to injuries, further extending an already extensive injury list.

Shannon Frizell, Samisoni Taukei’aho and Tyrel Lomax are the latest casualties, with each expected to miss around six weeks.

Frizell, who recently returned to the Test fold after three seasons in Japan, went down with a knee injury in the second Bledisloe Test, and scans have since revealed a PCL rupture.

Taukei’aho also failed to finish the second Bledisloe game after picking up a calf problem, which scans later found to be a torn gastrocnemius.

Lomax, who has had an injury-ravaged few seasons, has aggravated a pre-existing disc injury. The team has decided to leave the tighthead prop at home to give the injury time to heal ahead of a big 2027.

The team is still assessing further injuries, including that of star playmaker Richie Mo’unga, ahead of next Tuesday’s squad naming. The 36-man squad will be the final of 2026, and face Scotland, Wales and then England before the inaugural Nations Championship finals.

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7 Comments
T
Tk 13 hours ago

Where would our Injured XV sit in the world rankings?

B
B 3 hours ago

Above the French leagues’ convicted domestic abusers XV


Well above

K
Karlos G 15 hours ago

All with the cursed calf strain!🤣

B
Bruiser 14 hours ago

Try finding your PCL in your calf

c
cnw 16 hours ago

All three a loss but the silver lining is that it may free a spot for the likes of Fai’anganuku and Bell, and give Tosi the opportunity to show he has what it takes at the test level.

B
Blackmania 7 hours ago

Fainga’anuku is unlikely. At this point, I don’t think he’s in the right shape to play at Test level, especially under Rennie.

Bell could feature against Wales.

And Tosi, yes, he’ll be an important part of the team. He should be more effective than he was in South Africa. Then again, there’s nothing quite like the South African scrum anywhere in the world.

Frizell could be replaced by Tupou Ta’eiloa. Alternatively, Hannah could come in alongside Vaai, who is now being viewed as a loose forward.

Personally, I’m mostly looking forward to seeing Taumoefolau brought into the team.

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