Rennie confirms Carter's AC shoulder injury and Jacobson cramp scare after All Blacks defeat Italy

Dave Rennie confirmed that Leroy Carter and Luke Jacobson both left the field with physical issues in the first half of the All Blacks’ match against Italy, casting doubt over the pair’s immediate availability.

Carter, starting on the left wing, played on through an AC joint injury to his left shoulder before being withdrawn. His final contribution was a remarkable one-handed inside pass to Will Jordan that set up a try — a piece of skill that Rennie was quick to acknowledge. “It’s a little AC,” Rennie said. “We’re not sure of the severity, but we called him off to get Josh [Moorby] on. That last pass that he threw — not a bad effort with a crook wing.”

Jacobson’s departure was more precautionary. The openside flanker began cramping in his calf late in the first half, and Rennie opted against risking an aggravation. “He was just cramping up a little bit in the calf, and we just thought we weren’t going to risk it,” Rennie said. “It was about two or three minutes before half time, so he got through, and I thought we’d let the young fella loose.”

The enforced changes brought an unexpected upside: debutants Josh Moorby and Anton Segner were introduced earlier than planned, with Moorby logging 59 minutes and Segner 40. Segner, reflecting on his first cap, admitted the moment had not yet fully registered. “I got the nod at half time — you don’t really have too much time to process it, you sort of switch into the moment,” he said. “I’ve yet to see my family; I think it will really start to sink in.”

Segner also offered an honest assessment of Italy’s performance in the opening period. “Credit to the Italians in the first half — I thought physically they dominated us,” he said, suggesting the All Blacks had to work harder than the scoreline may indicate before finding their rhythm after the break.