Eleven out: the All Blacks' injury list before Tuesday's tour squad

Dave Rennie names his All Blacks squad for the November tour of Europe on Tuesday 27 October, and the most important list this week is not the one he will read out but the one he cannot pick from. After a seven-week tour of South Africa and two Bledisloe Tests, at least eight All Blacks are out for the rest of 2026, and on Saturday afternoon New Zealand Rugby ruled three more experienced forwards out of the tour.

Out for the year

• Ardie Savea, the captain, dislocated a shoulder in the third Test against the Springboks and has had surgery, aiming for 2027.
• Luke Jacobson injured an elbow tendon in the same Test.
• Ruben Love has had surgery on his ankle.
• Caleb Clarke ruptured a shoulder tendon in the tour match against the Sharks.
• Leroy Carter hurt his ankle in the act of scoring at Eden Park and has had surgery.
• Billy Proctor fractured a shoulder blade against the Stormers.
• Ollie Norris has knee cartilage damage.
• Tamaiti Williams has discitis, an infection of a spinal disc, with no return date.

Ruled out of the tour (announced Saturday 24 October)

• Tyrel Lomax, the tighthead prop, has been managing a disc injury in his neck since Super Rugby ended in June. It has stayed aggravated, and management say he needs rest.
• Samisoni Taukei'aho, the Chiefs hooker, tore a calf against the Wallabies in Sydney, with recovery estimated at four to six weeks.
• Shannon Frizell ruptured the posterior ligament in his left knee a few minutes after coming off the bench in Sydney, with about six weeks out expected. The 32-year-old's two Bledisloe Tests were his first for New Zealand in three years, after his time in Japan with Toshiba.

That takes the tour count to 11 front-line players unavailable, and two of the three are front-rowers, so the hooker and tighthead choices on Tuesday will be closely watched.

Waiting on scans and stand-downs

Richie Mo'unga hurt a calf at training and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks; the Herald reports that Rennie considers him in serious doubt for the tour, while RugbyPass expects him back for the last two Tests. Fehi Fineanganofo has a head knock and an upper hamstring problem from the NPC, and lock Patrick Tuipulotu is described as touch-and-go with a calf strain. Ethan Blackadder, who hurt a calf in the warm-up before the first Bledisloe Test, is expected back for the tour.

Jordie Barrett, withdrawn from Sydney as a precaution with a tight calf, should be available, as should Quinn Tupaea, after his head knock in Sydney, and Anton Segner and Asafo Aumua, both on stand-downs after failed head assessments. Will Jordan came off at half-time in Sydney with a tight calf, but Rennie said there were no major concerns. Anton Lienert-Brown is back from a knee ligament injury.

Who might come in

Herald columnist Gregor Paul expects few new faces, flagging Leicester Fainga'anuku, back from a broken fibula and a high ankle sprain, as the most likely addition. Canterbury lock Sam Darry, who started both NPC playoff games and plays in Monday's final, hopes for a recall: "The goal is to get back there at some stage." The NPC final itself will be watched closely, with All Blacks Jamie Hannah, George Bell, Chay Fihaki and Darry in Canterbury's 23.

The tour

The All Blacks play Scotland at Murrayfield, Wales in Cardiff and England in London, before a Nations Championship finals weekend at Allianz Stadium against an opponent decided by the standings. On current placings, that would be Scotland again. The squad is expected to number about 36.