All Blacks captain and Crusaders lock Scott Barrett has been ruled out for up to five months with a back injury and will require surgery.
Crusaders coach Rob Penney confirmed the forward will need an operation on his back after picking up an issue before his return from a non-playing sabbatical.
The timeline of three to five months Penney gave would rule Barrett out of the All Blacks Nations Championship fixtures in July and possibly out of the tour of South Africa.
However, there is a chance he could be fit for the two October Bledisloe Cup tests and the November Nations Championship games in Europe.
“He’s tried every non-invasive trick you could do to get right and it just hasn’t come off, so he’ll be in the operating theatre by the end of the week,” Penney said.
“He was in great shape, he had a great break, and he’d come back very excited.
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett could be out for up to five months with a back injury. Photo / Photosport
“He’s still contributing as he does really meaningfully behind the scenes, but he’s as frustrated as all of us are for him.
“He’s got his head around it now, I guess a pretty special trip to South Africa that he’s going to miss and some other bits and pieces, but ultimately he’s just got to get himself right.”
This is the second major injury blow for the Crusaders this week after fullback Will Jordan was ruled out for the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific season with a calf injury.
The 28-year-old reaggravated his leg injury after returning from six weeks on the sideline in his team’s 36-32 win over the Chiefs.
Prop Tamaiti Williams was confirmed to miss the rest of the season in late March after he was found to have discitis, an infection in one of the discs in his spine.
Penney tried to put a positive spin on the adversity some of his top players have faced and argued that the team had dealt with injuries over the past few years very well.
“Losing those men is without question disappointing, but it’s allowed a whole other group to step up and take a leadership role and put their own stamp on it, and that’s what you require,” Penney said.
“If we go any further into the competition post this weekend, it’ll be on the back of those men really stepping up, and they’re certainly capable of it.”
The Crusaders currently sit fourth on the Super Rugby ladder and will face the Hurricanes on Friday evening at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch.
Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you
Get the iHeart App
Get more of the radio, music and podcasts you love with the FREE iHeart app. Scan the QR code to download now.
Download from the app stores
Stream unlimited music, thousands of radio stations and podcasts all in one app. iHeart is easy to use and all FREE
