Frizell, Taukei'aho and Lomax ruled out of Nations Championship as Mo'unga injury clouds All Blacks squad

Shannon Frizell, Samisoni Taukei’aho and Tyrel Lomax have all been ruled out of the All Blacks’ Nations Championship tour, New Zealand confirmed, with the trio joining an already lengthy injury list and further doubts surrounding star playmaker Richie Mo’unga.

Frizell, who had recently returned to Test rugby after three seasons in Japan, suffered a PCL rupture to his knee during the second Bledisloe Test. Taukei’aho left the same match with a calf complaint that scans subsequently diagnosed as a torn gastrocnemius. Both players are expected to be sidelined for approximately six weeks.

Lomax’s absence is the result of an aggravated pre-existing disc injury. The tighthead prop, whose recent seasons have been repeatedly disrupted by injury, has been kept at home by the management to allow adequate recovery time with an eye on the 2027 Rugby World Cup cycle.

The full extent of New Zealand’s injury concerns will not be known until the 36-man squad is named next Tuesday. Mo’unga, the team’s first-choice playmaker, is among those still being assessed, adding significant uncertainty to the touring party’s options at fly-half.

The squad named will be the final All Blacks group of 2026. They face Scotland, Wales and England before the inaugural Nations Championship finals, making the depth and fitness of the touring party a pressing concern for head coach Scott Robertson’s management team.