Opportunities in the black jersey have been few and far between for Emoni Narawa to begin his international career, and in another cruel blow, an injury ended his 2025 campaign as quickly as it began.
While the 26-year-old was brought into the starting XV for game two of July’s France series after injuries to Sevu Reece and Caleb Clarke, it was game one against South Africa in the Rugby Championship where he earned a call-up on form.
It was a dream start for the Chiefs’ flyer, who scored just moments into the Test, collecting a cross-field kick with a diving catch before finding his feet and throwing a dummy that saw him glide past the final defender, Cheslin Kolbe.
But soon after play restarted, Narawa contested another kick, and this time came away second-best.
“It was about four minutes into the game when I went up to contest a high ball and got a direct knee to the ribs,” he reflected this week at Chiefs HQ. “I thought I was just winded at first, but I tried to take a deep breath and just couldn’t.