Savea and Jacobson face lengthy absences as All Blacks reveal full South Africa tour injury toll

New Zealand Rugby has released a full injury update following the All Blacks’ tour of South Africa, with captain Ardie Savea and loose-forward Luke Jacobson both facing significant time on the sidelines as the squad prepares for the Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies.

Savea, who dislocated his shoulder during the tour, is set to undergo surgery in the coming weeks. No firm return date has been set, and the prospect of the All Blacks captain featuring again in 2026 appears slim. His absence leaves a leadership void at a critical point in the season.

Jacobson, who had been widely considered the leading candidate to take over the captaincy in Savea’s absence, will also miss the remainder of 2026 after having surgery on an elbow tendon. The Chiefs flanker faces a four-to-five-month recovery, ruling him out of the Bledisloe Cup and beyond.

Caleb Clarke is sidelined with a shoulder tendon issue and is not expected to return until round two of the Super Rugby Pacific season. Hurricanes centre Billy Proctor, who fractured his shoulder blade before the first Test against the Springboks, faces a four-to-six-week recovery and will be racing to prove his fitness for the All Blacks’ end-of-year tour. Anton Lienert-Brown is also tracking a four-to-six-week return after a knee MCL injury.

On a more positive note, halfback Cortez Ratima (knee PCL), centre Quinn Tupaea (knee MCL), and prop Anton Segner (ankle-joint inflammation) have all been classified as short-term injuries, with each expected back within one to two weeks — in time for the Bledisloe Cup fixtures, barring setbacks.

Ten players from the extended All Blacks squad will return to their Hilux NPC franchises for round eight. Chiefs prop Simon Parker is set to feature for Northland in their Ranfurly Shield clash against Counties Manukau on Saturday. Canterbury, Southland, Bay of Plenty, and Tasman will also benefit from returning All Blacks, with Fehi Fineanganofo, Emoni Narawa, and Pasilio Tosi heading to Bay of Plenty ahead of their trip to Nelson.

Ratima, if cleared, is in line to play for Waikato against Wellington, while Taranaki have the option of selecting Josh Lord against Hawke’s Bay in Napier.

All injury statuses are as of 21 September 2026, with return dates subject to medical clearance.