The All Blacks have made three injury-enforced changes to the squad for the 2024 Lipovitan-D Challenge Cup match against Japan and the Northern Tour.
One of those changes include the inclusion of Wellington and Hurricanes loose forward Peter Lakai who replaces the injured Dalton Papali’i (upper hamstring)
The other two injuries include Ethan Blackadder (calf) and Luke Jacobson (fractured thumb)
“This is hugely disappointing for Ethan, Luke and Dalton, but we know they will be working on recovering well with a view to making themselves available again as soon as possible” coach Scott Robertson said.
“This opens up opportunities for some other players though. We are excited to be welcoming Josh back into the group and giving Peter Lakai his chance to wear the All Blacks jersey,”
In addition to these changes, seven players from the All Blacks XV squad will travel with the All Black touring squad to Japan as injury cover.
This includes prop George Bower and loose forward Christian Lio Willie.
These players will then join the All Blacks XV squad in Ireland, with the possible exception of one further call-up to cover the 36th spot in the All Blacks squad.
“We will assess the status of Ethan, Luke and Dalton’s injuries prior to travelling to England, to determine whether we are going to require that additional injury cover,” Robertson said.
The upcoming fixtures for the All Blacks are as follows:
Sunday 24 November – All Blacks vs Italy, 9.10AM (NZST), Allianz Stadium, Turin
Saturday 26 October- All Blacks vs Japan, 6.50PM (NZST), Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
Sunday 03 November – All Blacks vs England, 4.10AM (NZST), Twickenham Stadium, London
Saturday 09 November – All Blacks vs Ireland, 9.10AM (NZST), Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sunday 17 November – All Blacks vs France, 9.10AM (NZST), Stade de France, Paris
