'Just can't win a trick': Ryan reacts as luckless All Black's season ends

Some movement in the All Blacks camp has seen the squad lose two and gain three as training cover, with the changes including the departure of the immensely unlucky Luke Jacobson.

The 28-year-old has been named in all three All Blacks squads in 2025, but hasn’t played a single minute for the team due to consecutive injuries at untimely intervals. Jacobson was even named to play in New Zealand’s final Test of the July window against France, but withdrew in the hour leading into the game after picking up a quad injury while warming up.

Jacobson also missed 2024’s Autumn Nations Series entirely due to injury, sustained a facial injury during the recent Super Rugby Pacific season, and was unavailable for much of the Rugby Championship with a thigh complaint.

After managing to take the field for four NPC games with Waikato, the Chiefs star was looking back on track to contribute to the All Blacks’ Northern Tour. A concussion 30 minutes into his showing off the bench for the All Blacks XV against England A, however, has ended his season outright.

Jacobson will join fellow Chiefs flanker Samipeni Finau, who departs for family reasons, on the flight back to New Zealand this week.

“Gutted for both of them,” All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan said on Tuesday in London, reacting to the news. “Samipeni had been training well, and Luke just can’t win a trick at the moment. It’s a real shame for him, but he needs to get himself right first and foremost.”

To cover the absentees over the coming week of training, the All Blacks brought in Christian Lio-Willie, who debuted for the team against France in July, and Josh Beehre, who trained with the team last week as cover for Scott Barrett.

Ryan explained the selections as reward for the form both Lio-Willie and Beehre have shown for the All Blacks XV. The All Blacks also brought in wing Caleb Tangitau for some training time with the top squad.

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The good injury news for All Blacks fans is that Scott Barrett is trending well towards a return to the field for this weekend’s Twickenham Test against England.

“He’s done all the work he can to get that cut healed up; he’s been really diligent,” Ryan explained. “All going well, he’ll get through another training day on Thursday.

“He’ll be great for us, especially up front. The English are a big forward pack, a forward pack that we immensely respect. So we have to be on.”

In the skipper’s absence, young duo Fabian Holland and Josh Lord took the opportunity to step up and held down the All Blacks’ engine room against Scotland. Ryan described the performance as a ‘coming of age’ moment for Lord in particular.

“We’re reasonably young in a few areas. If you look at our locks, I’m immensely proud of them in the last couple of weeks. Especially (Josh) Lordy, who has come on and he’s come of age. He’s been training extremely well and made the most of his chance. Last week in particular, when those boys aren’t looking for Scott Barrett, Patrick (Tuipulotu), and Tupou Vaa’i, it’s them in the moment. We take a lot of confidence out of that. We set them up and are pretty proud of where they’re at.”