Leroy Carter will miss the rest of the 2026 season after the Chiefs and All Blacks winger had surgery on an ankle injury suffered at Eden Park.
Carter picked up the high-ankle injury as he scored in the second half of the first Bledisloe Cup Test against the Wallabies at Eden Park.
The winger charged towards the line after a Peter Lakai pop pass from the base of a ruck. Wallabies loose forward Rob Valetini then fell on Carter’s lower leg in an attempt to stop the try.
Carter was helped from the field and was ruled out of the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney a week later. The announcement about his injury came on Monday evening.
Long injury list grows
Carter joins a long list of injured All Blacks who will miss the rest of the 2026 campaign. It includes captain Ardie Savea, Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson and first-five Ruben Love.
An injury cloud also hangs over Ethan Blackadder, Patrick Tuipulotu, Richie Mo’unga, Shannon Frizell and Samisoni Taukei’aho. All five are in doubt for Dave Rennie’s side’s end-of-year tour.
Anton Segner, Asafo Aumua and Quinn Tupaea are all expected to be named in the squad, even though the trio picked up concussions during the two-Test Bledisloe Cup series against their trans-Tasman rivals.
Taukei’aho left the field late on in Sydney with calf tightness, only a quarter of an hour into his appearance off the bench. He could miss the tour if the injury is deemed to be a multi-week problem.
Mo’unga’s calf injury also presents a niggly timeline for Rennie and the coaching staff. The All Blacks head coach made it clear in Sydney that they believe the Crusaders first-five will be available for the final two Tests of the Nations Championship tour. They are uncertain about the first two Tests, against Scotland and Wales.
Frizell, who has just returned to the All Blacks environment, looked to have suffered a non-contact knee injury late on at Accor Stadium in Sydney. He went down in midfield after looking to take a hit-up.
Jordie Barrett also missed the second Bledisloe Cup Test with calf tightness, but that was deemed precautionary rather than a new injury.
Squad announcement looms
The All Blacks will name an expected 34-36-man squad on Tuesday NZT for their four-Test Nations Championship tour of Europe. The fixtures include Scotland at Murrayfield, Wales in Cardiff and England in London. A finals weekend clash at Allianz Stadium against a yet-to-be-determined opponent follows.