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Will Jordan ruled of 2024 Super Rugby Pacific

Will Jordan of New Zealand reacts during the Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 28, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

All Blacks outside back Will Jordan will miss the entirety of the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, the team announced on Tuesday morning.

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The team revealed it was a pre-existing shoulder injury that would require surgery, and as a result see the prolific try-scorer sidelined for six months.

With the season’s start just days away, the Crusaders lose an MVP candidate and a second international fullback, after the chest injury Leigh Halfpenny sustained just minutes into his Crusaders career against Munster.

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Reports last week suggested the Crusaders’ medical team were weighing up the options for their star fullback, with an update expected before the season’s start. Tuesday’s confirmation will have a significant influence over the team’s campaign.

Jordan did miss a large piece of the 2023 season with an inner ear issue causing migraines, with first five-eighth Fergus Burke assuming a backfield role in the All Black’s absence.

This year however, Burke was slated to inherit the keys to the Crusaders’ attack after the departure of Richie Mo’unga. Even that would have to wait until at least round seven though, when Burke is set to return from an injury of his own.

Chay Fihaki remains as the team’s most experienced fullback – outside of David Havili, who is unlikely to be removed from the midfield – while there’s also potential for Tasman flyer Macca Springer to be thrown in the 15 jersey while Jordan is out.

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New Crusaders coach Rob Penney has previously expressed his keenness to play players in their natural positions, having ruled out any potential of Havili or Halfpenny covering first five-eighth while Burke is sidelined.

Jordan’s timeline now sees him potentially returning to full health in August, after the All Blacks’ two-Test series against England and their American Test against Fiji.

The Rugby Championship kicks off on August 10, with New Zealand opening their campaign against Argentina in Wellington.

Unfortunately for Crusaders fans, Jordan isn’t the only All Black reportedly set to miss time in the coming season, either. The injury-plagued Ethan Blackadder is unlikely to feature in at least the opening game of the season against the Chiefs on Friday, with the loose forward suffering another calf injury.

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Comments

2 Comments
R
Rugby 286 days ago

little peca pecos, where is gobbler Graham
only a can’terbury fan can see the positive in a long term timeout thru surgery.

Maybe he can get his ear fixed at the same time.

P
Pecos 286 days ago

Good call to do the surgery. I want to see WJ pumping for the NH end of year tour. SRP will take care of itself.

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JW 29 minutes ago
All Blacks report card: Are Razor's troops heading in the right direction?

First, thinking automatic success comes with succession. I think a heavily hand made succession can work but they need to be a whole lot more ruthless with their processes.


Then, as pointed out in a recent article, by the same author as this one I think, they went with what Razor would these days call the "quarter back" style 10 rather than a facilitator. This, along with a second playmaker, removed all desire to select alround players who have the skill to keep the ball alive and enable those wonderful team try's we used to see. We became 'strike' team with specific focal points, and a reliance on those players.


Two defend those players, and the idea itself I suppose, the two you name in particular were heavily affected by their concussions and the idea they can break a neck playing like they way they were. Neither were anything like that specifically due to injurys imo, this, combined with the same mentality that causes the team not to want to replace a future coach (Foster) with someone better, means they stuck with their man. There is also a heavy amount of fiscal perspective in things like investment in a player that dictated a lack of desire to move sooner (the delay in selecting someone like Mo'unga and using Scott as a 6 in conjunction with Ardie at 7).


Ah, yes, I see that you see. Yeah it was definitely another one of these pretty ideas like succession of coachs wasn't, naming the new 7 as captain, after McCaw. Combined with the look of your next paragraph, I'm going to suggest that again it is one of these 'AB philosophies' that are to blame of sticking with your investments till ruin or bust. I can't remember what injury Read had but there was also a conscious choice to play him tighter and we were robbed by his wide running and passing game by a loss of pace. But both of them were indicative of a lack of investment (by necessity no doubt) in securing talent behind them Lachlan was better than Cane for multiple years before he finally decided to go, guys you knew would deliver to a certain standard like Elliot Dixon, Squire, Robinson, Tuafua, even Messam, were constantly overlooked to play certain All Blacks into the ground and have them needing to be excluded from the start of SR seasons as a result. It's so indicative of now with players like Kirifi stonewalled to give Cane a farewell but more glaring grinding blood our of Ardie for one more performance. Not to mention passing up on players like Sotutu.


I see you have great names as well, fully agree, especially about how that Foster teams run ended. While I don't think you understand the dynamics of what selecting from overseas is likely involve, I'm on board, because I don't really care too much about SR. I'd prefer it if NZR had to do what you suggest and invest in the grass roots and NPC and everyone can turn up to a NPC game without paying a cent because the people involved are there for the love of the game.


Realistically though, and thinking with that All Black mindset of perfection, nothing should change until these problems weve highlighted with the setup, and this current coaches failings, have been fixed. Make the change to opening up when you don't need to open it up, that is the 7 point play to make.

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