Head coach Scott Robertson has called up Hurricanes star Peter Lakai and Chiefs man Josh Lord into the All Blacks squad to replace a trio of injuries ahead of their Test against Japan.
Ethan Blackadder (calf), Luke Jacobson (thumb) and Dalton Papali’i (hamstring) will not be joining the All Blacks squad to travel to Japan on Thursday ahead of the Test on October 26.
An opportunity
This opens the door for highly-rated back-row Lakai who took Super Rugby Pacific by storm this year where he showcased his abilities on both sides of the ball and the breakdown. Lord also gets another chance to add to his few caps in black and Robertson is excited at the prospect of the two stars linking up with the side.
“This is hugely disappointing for Ethan, Luke and Dalton, but we know they will be working on recovering well with a view to making themselves available again as soon as possible.
“This opens up opportunities for some other players though. We are excited to be welcoming Josh back into the group and giving Peter Lakai his chance to wear the All Blacks jersey,” Robertson said.
Injury cover
While the duo has been elevated to the Test squad there are seven players from the All Blacks XV set-up who will be training with Robertson’s men as injury cover.
Five of the seven are forwards in the form of Bradley Slater (hooker), George Bower (prop), Fabian Holland (lock), Christian Lio-Willie (back-row) and Oliver Haig (back-row). The other two players are Harry Plummer (fly-half) and AJ Lam (centre).
The All Blacks’ northern tour gets underway with that Test against Japan before heading to Europe where the side will face England, Ireland, France and Italy.
All Blacks’ fixtures
Japan v New Zealand
Date: Saturday, 26 October
Venue: International Stadium, Yokohama
Local kick-off: 14:40
BST kick-off: 06:50
GMT kick-off: 05:50
England v New Zealand
Date: Saturday, 2 November
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Local kick-off: 15:10
Ireland v New Zealand
Date: Friday, 8 November
Venue: Aviva Stadium
Local kick-off: 20:10
France v New Zealand
Date: Saturday, 16 November
Venue: Stade de France
Local kick-off: 21:10
GMT kick-off: 20:10
