All Blacks captain Scott Barrett and his brother, Jordie, are injury concerns after the side started their Grand Slam campaign with a victory over Ireland at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday.
New Zealand’s 26-13 triumph means they made the perfect start to their 2025 Grand Slam campaign, although they will be sweating over the fitness of the Barretts ahead of next weekend’s clash against Scotland at Murrayfield.
Second-rower Scott was an early casualty at Soldier Field as he limped off the field with a badly cut leg after just three minutes and inside centre Jordie was forced off in the 15th minute due to a high ankle sprain and knee ligament damage.
The latter’s injury is a big concern for the All Blacks.
The younger Barrett, who was replaced by Leicester Fainga’anuku, is a major doubt for the clash against Scotland and he is set to have a scan after the team arrives in Edinburgh.
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson revealed that the siblings would be monitored by the medical staff ahead of their encounter with the Scots.
All Blacks skipper left the field immediately after injury
The team’s skipper was clutching his lower leg after injuring himself and was immediately replaced by replacement lock Josh Lord, while back-row star Ardie Savea took over the captaincy.
“We will see how long that is going to take, but it is a decent one,” said Robertson. “A little sprig at the bottom of his knee there.”
Meanwhile, the third and oldest Barrett brother, Beauden, said after the victory over Ireland: “Obviously my bros are a bit beaten up. Scott had a laceration on his leg and Jordie’s high ankle [sprain] and knee didn’t look great.
“I was super proud and happy with how we responded. I could have let that rattle me, seeing my two bros go off.
“I was impressed with how we stayed connected and stayed aligned on what we wanted to achieve, and we came away with the right result.”