All Blacks remove Cam Roigard from Sharks game as 'precautionary measure'

The All Blacks have removed star halfback Cam Roigard from this week’s Sharks game as a “precautionary measure”, noting a tight calf as the cause for concern.

Roigard was named on the bench for the Sharks contest after missing the opening match of the tour, but will now be replaced in the No.21 jersey by Cortez Ratima, with Kyle Preston remaining in the starting unit for his first start in the black jersey.

The Hurricanes star had a heavy workload throughout the opening block of Nations Championship games, starting all three Tests and averaging just shy of 70 minutes per game. The game time saw him emerge from the July Tests with the most passes, carries, defenders beaten and tries of any halfback in the 12-team tournament.

The team revealed his calf concern in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

“Cam Roigard has been pulled from the side to play the Sharks as a precautionary measure. He has a tight calf, so the decision has been made to allow some time for that to settle. Cortez Ratima will take his place on the bench,” a team statement read.

The calf complaint comes 11 days out from the first Springboks Test of the tour, but follows an unfortunate theme in Roigard’s young All Blacks career. Despite debuting for New Zealand in 2023 and quickly emerging as the country’s premier halfback, Roigard has played a total of just 20 minutes against the Springboks.

His lone appearance in the famous rivalry came in 2023’s Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture at Twickenham, a record defeat for the All Blacks at the time in which Roigard scored New Zealand’s only try off the bench. In every Rugby Championship block since, injuries have denied him the chance to face the Rugby World Cup-holders.

Roigard’s precautionary absence may also raise eyebrows for the fact that New Zealand’s selectors did not add a fourth halfback to the squad for the eight-game tour, controversially leaving rising Crusaders star Noah Hotham at home and leaving the team light on injury cover.

Head coach Dave Rennie noted halfback-turned-outside back Leroy Carter would be considered an option as halfback cover when explaining his squad selection.

“He [Carter] may well cover that role if we wanted to go for a six-two split,” Rennie explained after announcing his 44-man squad late last month. “Having someone who can play nine and play wing gives us a bit more versatility.

“Obviously, Noah Hotham’s the obvious choice as the fourth halfback, and if we were to get an injury, then we’d bring in a replacement.”