Jacobson assumed the captaincy duties after Savea’s removal, while Wallace Sititi came on to replace him in Soweto. However after the test, the All Blacks confirmed Jacobson injured a tendon in his elbow which rules him out of the fourth test.
The All Blacks loose forwards stocks had already taken a hit with Anton Segner heading home last week with an ankle infection while Ethan Blackadder struggled with the flu in the lead-up to today’s test.
Midfielder Quinn Tupaea was also forced off the field in Johannesburg after he went down awkwardly in a tackle shortly after halftime, suffering an MCL knee injury.
The Springboks surged after Savea’s departure, adding seven points through a penalty try off a strong scrum in the 36th minute. The hosts went on to win the match 29-24.
All Blacks captain Ardie Savea is expected to be out for the remainder of the series after coming off in the first half of the third test with an injury. Photo / SmartFrame
Coach Dave Rennie confirmed that his captain would not travel with the team to the United States because of his injury.
“Obviously [with] Ardie’s injury, he won’t travel now, but we’ll work out what it looks like over the next few hours,” he said to Sky Sport after fulltime.
Speaking on Sky Sport, former All Blacks prop Angus Taʻavao said Savea’s departure will hit the team hard.
“The impact he was having on the game was immense and I think it’s not just what he does around his physical side of the game, it’s his leadership and the way he interacts with the officials, the way he interacts with the boys,” Ta’avao said.
“I’m no doctor, but I would be surprised if he played again this year. It looked to me like it was a shoulder dislocation and I think probably moving forward the best thing would be to get him right for what’s coming in the future.
“And I think it’s probably good for him. He’s had a big run of rugby, he missed the start of this series to get a bit of a rest, but he gives everything, his body, his mind, his soul, his spirit, and it’s probably an opportunity for him to step away and get some family time and refresh and recoup building towards a big 2027.”
Ardie Savea acknowledges supporters after the defeat to South Africa. Photo / Photosport
Rennie suggested there would be changes to the starting XV in Baltimore, but didn’t give an indication as to who might replace Savea.
“I think we’ll make a couple of changes, we always talked about doing that. It’s a long series, got a big travel.”
The All Blacks managed to score two more tries after Savea was taken off through Will Jordan and Samisoni Taukei’aho, but their inability to kick goals left too many points on the table against a clinical Springboks side.