Rennie rules out Segner for remainder of All Blacks tour after ankle surgery

Anton Segner’s tour is over after All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie confirmed the Blues loose-forward will play no further part in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour, having undergone keyhole surgery on his ankle.

Segner had already been ruled out of New Zealand’s first Test against the Springboks at Ellis Park before being named on the bench for last weekend’s fixture, only to be replaced on gameday by Chiefs No.6 Simon Parker. Rennie addressed the situation in his post-match press conference in Johannesburg following the All Blacks’ 41-35 victory over the Lions.

“He had a little bit of keyhole surgery, just the washout and infection,” Rennie said. “So he’ll come with us to Cape Town, but he won’t take part in the rest of it at all.”

Despite losing Segner for the remaining three Tests, Rennie indicated New Zealand have no plans to call in a replacement, expressing confidence in the depth already available in the touring squad.

“Our feeling is now that we’re beyond the midweek games; we’ve got enough loose forwards to pick from,” he said.

Rennie also provided a broader injury update after the Lions clash, reporting that the squad came through largely unscathed. A couple of players experienced cramping during the match, but the head coach described the overall picture as positive.

One concern heading into the weekend is prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi, who was unavailable for the Lions game after running a fever. Rennie explained that Xavier Numia was called upon as a result, though he was reluctant to risk Tu’ungafasi given his condition.

“We were hoping Ofa Tu’ungafasi would mean that we didn’t have to use Xavier Numia today, and unfortunately he was crook — he’s running a little bit of a fever, and we felt it wouldn’t be wise to try and play him,” Rennie said.

With the midweek fixtures now behind them, Rennie struck an upbeat tone about the squad’s resources ahead of the Test series, noting that around 40 players are available and that there are plenty of fresh bodies ready for the weekend.