Ardie Savea sustained a dislocated shoulder just 25 minutes into the third Test match against the Springboks in Soweto. The All Blacks captain had been in dominant form during the opening quarter of that game, scoring a brace of tries before the injury occurred. According to head coach Dave Rennie, Savea has already undergone an operation and now faces an extensive period of rehabilitation. The recovery timeline is significant enough that he is officially ruled out of the upcoming Bledisloe Cup series against Australia and may even miss the beginning of the Super Rugby Pacific season with his new Auckland-based club.
The loss of Savea marks a difficult period for the All Blacks, who are currently managing a heavy injury toll from their four-test series in South Africa, which concluded with a 3-1 series victory for the Springboks. Beyond Savea, the team is without several other key starters: Luke Jacobson is out following surgery on a torn elbow tendon, Caleb Clarke is sidelined with a ruptured shoulder tendon, Anton Lienert-Brown is managing a medial cruciate ligament injury, and Billy Proctor remains unavailable due to a broken shoulder blade sustained earlier in the tour.
Despite the clear impact of losing a player of his calibre, Dave Rennie views the situation as a necessary opportunity to test the depth of the squad. He noted that while Savea has been inspirational and on fire during the series, the mandatory rest period will allow other players to step into leadership roles and gain critical experience over the next few months. Savea, having played a high volume of rugby over the last two years, will now focus entirely on his recovery in preparation for his return to domestic play.