Cam Roigard on latest injury: 'It's hard not to feel like you've let the team down'

All Blacks star Cam Roigard is back to full fitness after a pesky stress fracture that has kept him sidelined for the Rugby Championship to date, and he’s ready to hit the ground running.

The 24-year-old will suit up for Counties Manukau in Saturday’s NPC clash with neighbours, Auckland, in a bid to get some gametime under his belt before the Bledisloe Cup kicks off the following week.

Consistent gametime has eluded Roigard at the international level. After seemingly inheriting Aaron Smith’s No. 9 jersey following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, lower-body injuries have disrupted both of the international campaigns since.

In 2024, it was a left patella tendon problem that kept Roigard on the sidelines, and while the recent stress fracture has offered a quicker recovery, the halfback says it’s been more of a nuisance to rehab.

“It’s been a bit of a niggly one, just because it’s bone-related,” he told D’Arcy Waldegrave of Newstalk ZB. “I’ve had to have a lot of patience to offload it completely, especially in the early stages, which I probably struggled with. I’m someone who likes to rip in with rehab and whatnot, but the whole rehab was just staying off of it as much as I can. So that took a little bit of adjusting, getting used to.

“But it was just based on symptoms, so once I was able to walk comfortably, then progress to jogging on the treadmill, and keep progressing, as long as there weren’t any (symptoms) and it wasn’t getting worse, then we were able to keep progressing.

“I’m really happy with how it feels now. Had a really good week with the All Blacks last week, so they could get a visual on what I was doing and how much I could do. They’re pretty happy that I’m ready to play some rugby again, so I’m ready to rip in for Counties on Saturday.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

3

Draws

0

Wins

2

Average Points scored

25

24

First try wins

80%

Home team wins

60%

Roigard said he passed some fitness tests last week, with his foot responding well, while his lungs faced the biggest challenge. He said, “There’s nothing to worry about” at this point in his recovery.

The Hurricanes star was one of three halfbacks out of action over the opening month of the Rugby Championship, with fourth-string halfback Finlay Christie and fifth-string halfback Kyle Preston stepping up to face the Springboks at Eden Park. Xavier Roe also joined camp as cover.

Roigard joined the initial squad selections of Cortez Ratima and Noah Hotham as audience members for the Test, and said Christie was the “perfect man to step up” due to his previous Test experience, and there were “no doubts” within the camp that he could get the job done.

He acknowledged it’s been a trying time for the halfbacks of New Zealand.

“The timing probably couldn’t have been any worse, given that we saw Noah go down before I was diagnosed with an injury, in that French game. And then being at home and watching the boys in Argentina, when Cortez injured himself as well, was pretty tough.

“It’s hard not to feel like you’ve let the team down with something that, if you had your time again, you might have been able to manage it so that it wouldn’t have eventuated in an injury. It was pretty frustrating due to the timing. But with the other nines stepping up, it was just a next man up mentality.

“Although it was pretty frustrating, I was pretty stoked for the likes of Finlay and KP (Preston), who had to step up at Eden Park. It was a massive Test. KP on debut and Finlay called in, he might have been thinking that he wouldn’t get too many opportunities back in the black jersey, but it was pretty cool for them to reap the rewards when they needed to.”

While the Eden Park Test resulted in a win for the hosts, the following week in Wellington was a very different story. Noah Hotham returned to start the Test, only to suffer yet another injury in the ninth minute, with Christie again called upon to play big minutes.

The Kiwis were in the fight for the opening hour of the game, before a final quarter blowout saw South Africa claim a record win. Roigard shared his view of the contest.

“I guess the mindset of the South Africans, they were hurting a lot from the Eden Park Test, and we knew that. I thought we started reasonably well, obviously not as well as at Eden Park, but we were able to hold them off initially, defensively, and then score a really nice try through Leroy (Carter).

“We were playing the brand of rugby that we want to play; being able to move the ball, finding space, and exploiting the way they defend a little bit. But in that second half, probably lost a few key moments. They kicked really well, put us under a lot of pressure in the air.

“Then from there, it turned into an uphill battle as they had a lot of the ball, and momentum was in their favour. When you’re on defence the whole time, it’s taxing. It’s really hard to stay in the game. And we just felt it slip away there a little bit.

“I feel for the boys, everyone cares so much about this team and representing our country. It’s a massive honour. I’m sure, moving forward, we’ll be doing everything we can to put a performance out that we’re proud of next week, and on top of that, being able to stack performances, because at the moment, that’s something that we’re struggling with; we win one and then we lose one.

“That could be the difference in the Rugby Championship. It’s obviously very close at the moment, one point from first to fourth. Hopefully, we can get Australia one right, and then be able to improve on that performance.”