All Blacks face lengthy absences as Savea and Lienert-Brown undergo surgery and rehab

New Zealand Rugby announced that All Blacks captain Ardie Savea will undergo surgery for a dislocated shoulder, with his return to play to be decided after the operation. In the same match against the Springboks in Baltimore, midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown injured his knee and is projected to be unavailable for up to six weeks. The tour’s injury tally also includes Luke Jacobson (elbow tendon surgery, 4-5 months out), Quinn Tupaea (MCL injury, 1-2 weeks), Anton Segner (ankle-joint inflammation, 1-2 weeks), Cortez Ratima (PCL knee injury, 1-2 weeks), Billy Proctor (fractured shoulder blade, 4-6 weeks), Caleb Clarke (ruptured shoulder tendon, 5 months), Ollie Norris (knee cartilage injury, returns for Super Rugby pre-season), and George Bell (calf injury, already back in NPC). Ten injured All Blacks have been made available for their provincial NPC teams, with several slated to play in matches for Tasman, Bay of Plenty, Northland, Canterbury, Southland, Taranaki, and Waikato this weekend.