Noah Hotham has absolved Scott Robertson\u2019s All Blacks staff of any blame for his latest injury, insisting he wasn\u2019t rushed back into action last Saturday.<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old suffered a serious ankle sprain during the July 19 series finale versus France in Hamilton, and his comeback game versus the Springboks in Wellington eight weeks later was restricted to just nine minutes.<\/p>\n
The scrum-half left the field after he was injured in a collision with South Africa\u2019s second-row Lood de Jager<\/a>, and it has now emerged that he has been operated on to mend the clean break suffered to his ankle fibula.<\/p>\n New Zealand Rugby posted: \u201cNoah has been ruled out of the remainder of the Rugby Championship. He underwent surgery for a fractured fibula on his left ankle. His return to play timeframe is currently being assessed by our medical team.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInjury was to the other ankle\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n That NZR message on Instagram was followed by a reply from Hotham, where he told followers that the injury was to his other ankle, not the right one that was hurt against the French.<\/p>\n \u201cWas the other leg than the one previously injured, fam. I was not rushed back; the coaches and medical staff worked excellently together in preparation for my return where I was fit and ready! Just an unfortunate rugby injury this one. Be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n While a timeframe for his latest comeback has still to be confirmed, what is certain is that Robertson won\u2019t be able to call on the scrum-half for the upcoming two matches against the Wallabies to conclude this year\u2019s tightly fought Rugby Championship.<\/p>\n Rugby Championship Team of the Week: NINE Springboks and ZERO All Blacks as Rassie Erasmus\u2019 men rewarded for \u2018record\u2019 victory<\/a><\/p>\n Hotham is the All Blacks<\/a>\u2019 third injured scrum-half, with Cam Roigard<\/a> suffering a foot stress fracture and Cortez Ratima struck down with a broken rib sustained in the August 23 loss away to Argentina.<\/p>\n Head coach Robertson was hopeful last weekend that Roigard and Ratima could be available for round five of the Championship.<\/p>\n \u2018Not All Blacks standards\u2019 \u2013 Israel Dagg hits out after shocking statistic revealed<\/a><\/p>\n