Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea will be sidelined for up to two months with a knee injury, which should still see him recover in time for the All Blacks’ July tests.
Savea announced on social media on Tuesday that he would be sidelined for 6-8 weeks, after suffering a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee during the Hurricanes’ 30-27 golden point defeat to the Crusaders on Sunday.
The loose forward suffered the injury just after halftime, as the Hurricanes took a 24-17 lead, and looked gone for all money but somehow carried on with the knee heavily strapped until the 61st minute.
He was no less effective in that third quarter, snaffling turnovers and causing chaos for the Crusaders in a man of the match performance before he was replaced by Du’Plessis Kirifi.
Savea said: “Unfortunately on the weekend I did my MCL so that’s going to take me out for 6-8 weeks, so unfortunately I’m going to miss some footy over that time, but it’s all good.
“Like life you get knocked down but you just gotta keep moving forward. Thanks for all the love and the messages. Keep supporting our Hurricanes, fam, and I’ll be back. Peace out.”
It means Savea will miss the Hurricanes’ final two Super Rugby Aotearoa matches against the Chiefs (April 23) and Highlanders (April 30) as they battle to avoid the wooden spoon with a 1-5 record.
He’ll also be absent for most of the Hurricanes’ trans-Tasman campaign, although if his recovery goes to the time frame he could return for their final match against the Reds in Wellington scheduled for the weekend of June 11-12.
Savea and fullback Jordie Barrett have been hugely influential for the Hurricanes in a tough season and it leaves Kirifi and Devan Flanders, who was good at No 8 on Sunday, to shoulder the burden as they try to turn around their fortunes after this weekend’s bye.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster will also be breathing a sigh of relief, with his captain and openside flanker Sam Cane having undergone surgery on a torn pectoral muscle suffered on March 27.
Cane is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 months which means he will miss the All Blacks’ scheduled July tests against Italy and Fiji, and potentially parts of the Rugby Championship.
Savea looms as Cane’s likely replacement at No 7, and an option as captain, too, in the black jersey, with the Blues’ Dalton Papalii also in the mix if Savea remains at No 8 where he played last year’s tests.
Crusaders prop Joe Moody (foot) and centre Jack Goodhue (knee) are also set for extended stints on the sidelines after suffering serious injuries in a bruising clash at Sky Stadium on Sunday. Both are awaiting the results of scans taken on Tuesday morning.
Savea is no stranger to a long rehabilitation, after undergoing knee surgery following the All Blacks’ World Cup semifinal loss to England in Yokohama in October 2019.
He was out of rugby for eight months, and made a successful return for the Hurricanes in the inaugural Super Rugby Aotearoa in June last year.
