Ruben Love ruled out of Bledisloe Cup opener as ankle injury worsens

Ruben Love will play no part in the All Blacks’ Bledisloe Cup opener against the Wallabies at Eden Park on October 10, with coach Dave Rennie confirming the Hurricanes first-five has been sidelined by an ankle injury serious enough to rule him out of selection.

Love had started all six Tests of the international season under Rennie, who showed considerable faith in the young playmaker even as more experienced options — Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga, Damian McKenzie, and Josh Jacomb — were available during the three-Test series against the Springboks in South Africa. That run of starts is now over, at least temporarily.

Rennie revealed the injury is the same ankle problem Love had been managing throughout the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season, and that its full extent only became clear in the days before the squad announcement.

“He sort of nursed it a little bit through Super Rugby. He’s tough, Ruben,” Rennie said. “He was probably struggling a little bit in Africa, but while he was getting a bit of medical attention, he wouldn’t be talking much about it. It’s certainly serious enough for him to not be available.”

Rennie was candid about why Love cannot be risked, even in a limited capacity. “He can probably run at 70%, but that’s not great for him, not great for us,” the coach said, adding that a clearer timeline on his return would emerge over the following week.

With Love unavailable and Barrett listed as an outside back, Mo’unga and Jacomb appear to be the primary contenders to wear the No.10 jersey against a Wallabies side arriving in New Zealand on the back of a notable victory over the Springboks.

On a more positive note for the All Blacks, Rennie confirmed that midfielder Quinn Tupaea has recovered from the minor knee injury that kept him out of the fourth Test against South Africa. “Quinn’s good to go,” Rennie said, adding that the team had considered giving him game time for Waikato at the weekend before deciding against it.