All Blacks sweat on Jordie Barrett and Will Jordan ahead of Wales clash in Cardiff

New Zealand are facing a potential double injury blow ahead of their Nations Championship clash with Wales in Cardiff, after Jordie Barrett failed his head injury assessment and Will Jordan limped off with a suspected hamstring problem during the All Blacks’ victory over Scotland at Murrayfield.

Barrett was caught by a shoulder from Blair Kinghorn and did not pass his HIA, while Jordan — the All Blacks’ all-time leading try-scorer — left the field gingerly in the second half. Head coach Scott Rennie confirmed both players face a race against the clock to be available for the trip to Wales.

“Jordie failed his HIA, so yeah, not sure whether he’ll be available this week, but we’ll get a bit of clarity,” Rennie said after the match. On Jordan, he added: “It was [a hamstring]. He might have tweaked a hamstring. We’ll assess that, and I’m not sure of the severity of it.”

The injuries overshadowed what was ultimately a composed second-half performance from New Zealand. Edinburgh hooker Ewan Ashman had given Scotland genuine hope with a first-half hat-trick, but Rennie’s side kept Gregor Townsend’s team scoreless after the break to secure the win.

The match carried additional emotional weight for the All Blacks squad. Captain Codie Taylor was visibly moved post-match as he spoke about the team’s motivation to win in honour of Logan Cadwallader.

“We wanted to win for him,” Taylor said. “This week’s been a lot bigger than rugby. It’s about acknowledging one of our brothers who had fallen, a husband, father, son, who was highly respected in our group. To be able to go out there tonight and get the result — I know there was a lot of emotion in the anthem. There was definitely a bit more of a motivation there to front up in the jersey and represent him.”

New Zealand now travel to Cardiff for the second fixture of their four-week Northern Tour, though the fitness of two key backline players remains uncertain heading into the week.