Casualty Ward Super Rugby AU Rd 8 & Aotearoa Rd 7
The Casualty Ward is here to keep you up to date with all your injury news across Super Rugby AU and Aotearoa. We stay on top of all the latest news, with the added insights of our team's Physiotherapist and Podiatrist.
If you like what you read please like, share and review us everywhere people talk about rugby, and check out our Draft Rugby podcast due out late Monday night each week (Sydney time). Tune in, rate, review and share us. You’ll find us across all platforms on the links below:
Returned from injury (AU Rd 8 & Aotearoa Rd 7):
Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes) - Damaged his AC joint in his shoulder in round 2. Came back via the bench.
Vaea Fifita (Hurricanes) - Missing since rd 2 with a concussion. Finally made his comeback off the bench.
Josh Ioane (Highlanders) - Came back via the bench after being stood down for disciplinary reasons last week.
Sio Tomkinson (Highlanders) - Started this week after being stood down for disciplinary reasons last week.
Ngatungane Punivai (Highlanders) - Back on the right wing having overcome a hamstring injury. Source.
Tupou Vaai (Chiefs) - Returning from a rd 4 concussion.
Etene Nanai-Seturo (Chiefs) - Returned from a rd 5 hamstring injury.
Jonah Lowe (Chiefs) - Unwell since rd 5, he recovered to start on the right wing.
Tom Sanders (Crusaders) - Fractured his cheek in the intrasquad match (Feb 6th we think). Came back a bit earlier than expected.
Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies) - Red carded for taking Pone's head off early in the season. Back in starting this week.
Scott Sio (Brumbies) - Returned from a nasty looking elbow injury in rd 4.
Liam Wright (Reds) - Came back from a preseason syndesmosis injury via the bench.
Andrew Ready (Western Force) - Back from his red card for punching someone in the head.
Richard Kahui (Western Force) - Back via the bench from a rd 5 concussion.
Kyle Godwin (Western Force) - Played his first game of the year since suffering an ankle injury before round 1.
Jeremy Thrush (Western Force) - Back after being a late withdrawal with an ankle injury in rd 6.
Likely back this week (AU rd 9, Aotearoa rd 8):
Lachlan Boshier (Chiefs) - Played club rugby last week returning from a minor foot injury, so we think he should be available. Source.
Chase Tiatia (Chiefs) - Missed rd 6 due to illness but available again this week. Source.
Mitch Karpik (Chiefs) - Was fit again for rd 6 but fell ill. Available again this week. Source.
Sean Wainui (Chiefs) - Missing rd 6 with an ankle injury but available again this week. Source.
Kurt Eklund (Blues) - Cited for his tip tackle on Sevu Reece in rd 4 and given a three week ban. He will return in rd 9 after their bye. Source.
Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues) - Suffered a shoulder injury in rd 5 and didn't recover in time to play rd 6. We suspect he will be back after the bye but this is not confirmed. Source.
Ethan Blackadder (Crusaders) - Sat out last weekend’s match with a neck injury. Expected to be available again this week. Source.
Solomone Kata (Brumbies) - The comeback that never comes. He was meant to be a chance last week. If he isn't selected this week we would think it would be on form.
Lachlan Swinton (Waratahs) - Suffered an ankle injury in rd 5. Expected to play rd 9. Source.
Sam Caird (Waratahs) - Had a concussion in rd 6, didn't have long enough to be cleared for rd 7. Likely to play after the bye.
Ben Donaldson (Waratahs) - Played his first game of the year for Randwick after recovering from a quad injury. Expected to play 10 or 22 this week. Source.
Isi Naisarani (Rebels) - Was expected to miss at least the Reds game (rd 2) after knee arthroscopy (clean up) showed far more extensive damage than was anticipated. He is fit but still building his quad strength. May recover for this weekend's game. Source.
Dane Haylett-Petty (Rebels) - Still out with ongoing concussion symptoms since the test season last year. Apparently a chance to play this week. Source.
New Injuries (AU Rd 7, Aotearoa Rd 6):
Jonathan Taumateine (Hurricanes) - Was a late scratching off the bench for the Hurricanes after rolling his ankle on Friday. Source.
Pari Pari Parkinson (Highlanders) - Suffered an ankle, he hobbled through to halftime but then failed to reappear. Source.
Connor Garden-Bachop (Highlanders) - Broke his wrist and is out for the rest of the season. Source.
Quinn Tupaea (Chiefs) - Twisted his knee in contact just before the break and didn't return. Waiting on scan results. Source.
Jack Goodhue (Crusaders) - Has torn his ACL, PCL and MCL against the Hurricanes and won't play rugby again in 2021 as he goes under the knife. Source.
Joe Moody (Crusaders) - Suffered a serious soft tissue injury under his big toe in rd 6. They will reassess his progress after it settles in a couple of weeks. This could be one of a few things so we won't speculate yet between his plantar plate, flexor tendon etc. Source.
Ardie Savea (Hurricanes) - Damaged his MCL in rd 6 and is said to be out for 6-8 weeks. Source.
Byron Ralston (Western Force) - Taken from the field on a stretcher after being knocked out making a tackle. Will no doubt go through concussion protocols now. Source.
Reece Hodge (Rebels) - Had his knee hyperextended by Anstee trying to charge down what would have been a match-winning drop goal had it gone over. Tore his MCL and expected to be out for 10-12 weeks. Source.
Matt To'omua (Rebels) - Bloodied and dazed from a sickening head clash with Kyle Godwin. Confirmed he did fail his HIA so must go through the standard protocols. Source. Also had his hand in a thermoplastic cast (looks like for pinky) on the midweek Stan show.
Hunter Paisami (Reds) - Ruled out before kick-off with a calf injury. No word on the severity yet. Source.
Tom Cusack (Brumbies) - Suffered a hamstring injury and is in doubt for next week. Source.
Pete Samu (Brumbies) - Has a neck/shoulder issue and is in doubt for this week's game. Source.
Will Harrison (Waratahs) - Suffered a hamstring tear against the Brumbies and is out for 3-6 weeks. He'll miss Super Rugby AU but should play in the Trans Tasman. Source.
Ongoing Injury List:
AUSTRALIA
Western Force
Toni Pulu - Has a low-grade ankle injury. We think he will miss 1-2 weeks. Source.
Rob Kearney - We heard murmurs that he is injured before he missed rd 6. Source.
Jake McIntyre - Came off early with a hamstring injury in rd 6. Source.
Greg Holmes - Came off with what looked like a rib injury after a scrum in rd 5. These often take 4-8 weeks.
Brumbies
Connal McInerney - Came off with a bad ankle injury in rd 3. Has apparently fractured his fibula (and probably damaged his syndesmosis). Is expected to be out for an extended period. Source.
Tom Ross - Came off with a knee injury in rd 4.
Jahrome Brown - Came off with a shoulder injury in rd 6 apparently his season is all but over. Source.
Reds
Suliasi Vunivalu - Tore his hamstring in rd 6, is aiming to return for the last round game against the Force. Source.
Rebels
Cameron Orr - Out with a hamstring injury. Not sure of its severity. Source.
Campbell Magnay - Missed rd 2 due to a quad strain, the reports inferred he wasn't far away but that isn't confirmed. Source.
Emosi Tuqiri - Out with a lower-body injury. Source.
Kailea Isaac Aedo - Suffered a shoulder injury. Not sure what he has done.
Waratahs
Robbie Abel - Has an ankle injury and isn't back training two weeks out from round 1. Source.
Joey Walton - Limped off with an ankle injury in rd 1. Could miss up to three months so we might not see him again this season. Source.
Jack Dempsey - Suffered a stress fracture in his foot after the game in rd 5 and won't play rd 6. These things often take 4-6 weeks at least to heal. It will be interesting to see how quickly they push him back in. Source.
Sam Wykes - Suffered an elbow/ bicep injury in rd 6. Not sure of the severity but it looked sore! Source.
Tom Horton - Came off injured in the second half, no more news yet.
NEW ZEALAND
Toni Brown has let out that there is no set plan to rest All Blacks this year - Source.
Highlanders
Sam Gilbert – Tore his ACL in rd 3 and will miss 9 months. Due back around April. Playing 20-30min with his club side in rd 7 as he nears a return. Source.
Daniel Lienert-Brown - Came off with a bad-looking shoulder injury. He has fractured his arm and will be back around the end of April. Source.
Chiefs
Atu Moli – Had FAI (hip impingement) surgery on both hips to treat chronic hip dysfunction. Missed the entire 2020 season. Still on the road to recovery as of rd 2 2021. Source.
Laghlan McWhannell - Currently has a knee injury which we assume is still the patella tendon debridement from last year. Word is that he has had further surgery. Missed all of 2020 and now has had an injury replacement brought in so we assume he is out for some time. Source.
Nathan Harris - Has a long-term plan to get back in genuine contention for the match-day squad is in place after a long stint on the sideline. Source.
Solomon Alaimalo - As of rd 6 he is not training with the squad as he deals with some personal issues. Source.
Nehe Milner-Skudder - As of rd 5 they said he wasn't fully ready for a Super Rugby return following his well-documented shoulder injury. Source.
Hurricanes
Jamie Booth - Tore his MCL and PCL in his knee, plus fractured his tibial plateau (surface of his knee joint). Had an operation in October. I'd suspect he is about six months (April) to return as a minimum but Holland has said he could even miss the entire season. Source.
Crusaders
Braydon Ennor - Tore his ACL in the North V South game and is not due back until after SR Aotearoa. Source.
Blues
Ray Niuia – Had a knee injury that cost him his 2020 season. Still struggling with a knee injury this year. Source.
Soane Vikena - The NZ U20s hooker will miss the season with a shoulder injury from back in November. Source.
Dillon Hunt - Listed as injured before the last preseason game. Apparently out with a long-term concussion. Source.
Josiah Maraku - Listed as injured before the last preseason game. No other details yet. Source.
Gone for the season:
Andrew Makalio (Crusaders) - has been ruled out of the 2021 Super Rugby season due to a neck injury. Source.
Tom Christie (Crusaders) - Dislocated his shoulder in rd 3 and will have surgery. He won't play again this year. Return to sport is roughly 6 months. Source.
Jermaine Ainsley (Highlanders) - Ruled out for the majority of SR Aotearoa due to a high ankle sprain sustained the week before the first trial. Source.
Fetuli Paea (Highlanders) - Ruled out of the rest of the season after injuring his ankle in the last preseason trial. Source.
Freedom Vahaakolo (Highlanders) - Broke his left foot in training during the week and is out for the season. Source.
Thomas Umaga-Jenson (Highlanders) - Out for the season after breaking his arm in rd 6. Expected to recover in 12 weeks. Source.
Folau Fakatava (Highlanders) - Ruptured his ACL and he will be gone for the season. Source.
Simon Hickey (Hurricanes) - Tore his ACL in preseason and will miss the entire 2021 season. Orbyn Leger is likely to get a full contract as injury cover. Source.
Jackson Garden-Bachop (Hurricanes) - Had surgery on his achilles tear, ruling him out for up to 9 months. Source.
James Parsons (Blues) - Retiring on medical advice, after being out of the game for several months from a head injury. Source.
Jone Macalai (Blues) - Listed as injured before the last preseason game. apparently out for the year. Source.
Kini Naholo (Chiefs) - Will miss the entire 2021 Super Rugby campaign with injury.
Sam Cane (Chiefs) - Ruptured his pec tendon in rd 4, had surgery and is gone for six months. Source.
Liam Squire (Highlanders) - Has flared up his knee injury and is out for the season. Source.
Julian Montoya (Western Force) - Couldn't get a visa for his wife so is no longer join the Force. He is joining Leicester Tigers instead. Source.
Rhys van Nek (Rebels) - The young prop is out for the season with a hamstring injury. Source.
Have we missed something? Drop a comment or tweet and let us know.
Written by your local rugby nerd Harrison Dale.