All Blacks’ star halfback Cam Roigard has a stress fracture in his right foot — ruling him out of the two upcoming Rugby Championship Tests against Argentina at least.
Already facing a test of depth in the area due to back-up halfback Noah Hotham’s high ankle sprain which will sideline him for most if not all of the competition, Roigard’s injury will promote Cortez Ratima as the senior No.9 in the squad.
Finlay Christie would likely have been named in tomorrow’s 36-player Rugby Championship squad announcement as cover anyway — now he almost certainly will, with head coach Scott Robertson forced to cast the net ever wider. Likely as a precaution, Christie was a late withdrawal from Tasman’s game against Bay of Plenty this afternoon.
It may result in a call-up for the uncapped Kyle Preston, who represented Wellington in the NPC during the defending champions’ loss to Canterbury yesterday and who played extremely well for the Crusaders this year.
An All Blacks statement released this afternoon said: “Roigard presented with pain in the foot following the conclusion of the July series and scans have confirmed the stress fracture. He will not travel to Argentina and his likely return to play will be assessed in two weeks.”
Recovery times from such injuries vary but usually take six to eight weeks.
That timeline would suggest Roigard would struggle to be fit for the two Tests against the Springboks at Eden Park on September 6 and a week later in Wellington.
The 24-year-old, who has played 12 Tests, has quickly became an influential player for the All Blacks in the wake of Aaron Smith’s retirement due in large part to his running game.