Patrick Tuipulotu avoids surgery on fractured jaw; Blues captain expects to miss up to six weeks of season

Patrick Tuipulotu has avoided surgery on his fractured jaw. Photo / Photosport

Patrick Tuipulotu has avoided surgery on his fractured jaw, with the Blues captain expecting to be back on the field in April after a period of rest and recovery.

The 31-year-old was forced to return home early from the Blues’ pre-season trip to Japan after sustaining the injury in the first half of their win over Tokyo Sungoliath on February 3.

After collecting a lineout and setting up a maul, Tuipulotu’s body height was quite low, and teammate Adrian Choat, hitting the ball hard, caught Tuipulotu as well in the process.

The 43-test All Black returned to the surgeon on Monday this week and it was confirmed he wouldn’t need to go under the knife. While that was the case, it’s a frustrating start to the season for the newly appointed Blues captain, who missed the playoffs at the end of the 2023 campaign due to a broken arm.

“No strenuous activity but I can do light stuff,” Tuipulotu said. “I’m on the baby food with my little one. I’ve broken the other side of my jaw real bad, so I know what a proper break is like. This one’s not too bad.”

That last break came while playing for Auckland in the NPC in 2013 and did require surgery to fix it.

While out of action and limited to light activities for the time being, Tuipulotu said it would be a bit of a struggle to maintain his weight during his time off. He said in the 10 days since he suffered the injury he has already lost 2kg and had been told he could have full-fat milk and a few more protein shakes before bed in a bid to limit the weight he would shed.

“I suppose that’s a good thing for me,” Tuipulotu quipped about dropping a few kilos. “But hopefully I’ll come back in good shape. Well, I will.”

While his presence and leadership will be missed, his absence – expected to be about five or six weeks of the competition – provides an opportunity for someone else in the squad to step into the starting side to join likely starter Sam Darry in the engine room.

The Blues have made some recruitments during the off-season at lock, bringing Laghlan McWhannell and Josh Beehre into the mix, while loose forwards Cameron Suafoa and James Thompson will also make a play for the role.

“I’m not really worried. Look at the guys we have ... plenty of options in the locking department,” Tuipulotu said.

“They certainly don’t make me feel any younger, the locks we have, so I’m not too worried. A lot of those guys can play well.”

It’s not an ideal way for the year to start for Tuipulotu as he looks to play his way back into the thinking of the national team selectors, looking to fill one of the vacancies at lock with both Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock moving onto different stages in their careers.

However, Tuipulotu was looking on the bright side when it came to making the most of the opportunities ahead this season.

“That’s certainly the goal this year, as well as stay injury-free. But I suppose there’s a silver lining in that it’s early in the season and we’ve still got a big year of rugby to go.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.