Leroy Carter will miss the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing ankle surgery for a nasty injury he suffered at Eden Park.
The Chiefs and All Blacks winger picked up the high-ankle injury as he scored in the second half of the first Bledisloe Cup Test against the Wallabies at Eden Park.
Carter charged towards the line after a Peter Lakai pop pass from the base of a ruck. Wallabies loose forward Rob Valetini then fell on Carter’s lower leg in an attempt to stop the All Black from scoring.
Teammates helped Carter from the field, and he was ruled out of the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney a week later. The All Blacks announced the full extent of his injury on Monday evening.
Long injury list grows
Carter joins a long list of injured All Blacks who will miss the rest of the 2026 campaign. The list includes captain Ardie Savea, Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson and first-five Ruben Love.
An injury cloud also hangs over Ethan Blackadder, Patrick Tuipulotu, Richie Mo’unga, Shannon Frizell and Samisoni Taukei’aho. All five are in doubt for Dave Rennie’s side on the end-of-year tour.
Anton Segner, Asafo Aumua and Quinn Tupaea are all expected to be named in the squad, even though the trio picked up concussions during the two-Test Bledisloe Cup series against their trans-Tasman rivals.
Taukei’aho left the field late in Sydney with calf tightness, only a quarter of an hour into his appearance off the bench. He could miss the tour if the club and team deem it a multi-week injury.
Mo’unga’s calf injury also presents a niggly timeline for Rennie and the coaching staff. The All Blacks head coach made it clear in Sydney that the team believes the Crusaders first-five will be available for the final two Tests of the Nations Championship tour. They are uncertain about his availability for the first two Tests, against Scotland and Wales.
Frizell, who has just returned to the All Blacks environment, appeared to pick up a non-contact knee injury late at Accor Stadium in Sydney. He went down in midfield after looking to take a hit-up.
Jordie Barrett also missed the second Bledisloe Cup Test with calf tightness, but the team deemed that precautionary rather than a new injury.
Squad announcement looms
The All Blacks will name an expected 34-to-36-man squad on Tuesday NZT for their four-Test Nations Championship tour of Europe. The tour includes fixtures against Scotland at Murrayfield, Wales in Cardiff and England in London. It finishes with a finals weekend clash at Allianz Stadium against an opponent yet to be determined.