Fainga'anuku breaks leg to miss All Blacks selection window after Crusaders semi-final exit

Leicester Fainga’anuku faces 10-12 weeks on the sidelines after the Crusaders confirmed the 26-year-old sustained a fibula fracture during their Super Rugby semi-final loss to the Chiefs, ruling him out of All Blacks contention ahead of Monday’s squad announcement by head coach Dave Rennie. The Crusaders added that Fainga’anuku will not require surgery.

Fainga’anuku left the semi-final 34 minutes into the first half, by which point the Crusaders were already trailing 42-5, and did not return. His recovery timeline — late August at the earliest, mid-September at the latest — means he will miss the entire July Nations Championship window and at least the opening stages of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series, which runs until September 13.

The injury creates a selection headache for Rennie, though the nature of that headache is complicated by Fainga’anuku’s positional versatility. The 12-cap All Black spent the first nine games of the 2026 Super Rugby season in the backline, primarily at centre, before transitioning to the loose forwards, where he started six matches at openside flanker — including both of the Crusaders’ knockout fixtures.

Whichever jersey he wore, Fainga’anuku was among the competition’s most influential ball-carriers. His 23 offloads tied for the most in Super Rugby this season, his 64 tackle busts ranked second, his 170 carries placed third, and his 15 turnovers won were fourth-best. He also contributed seven tries and six try assists, and was named in the official Super Rugby Team of the Year as a flanker.

Because it remains unclear whether Rennie would have selected Fainga’anuku as a back or a forward, identifying who stands to benefit most from his absence is equally uncertain. His injury nonetheless thins an All Blacks squad that was already navigating a congested international calendar heading into the southern hemisphere’s mid-year test window.