Cleared to play in late February 2020, he was named to start at blindside flanker against the Brumbies in round four.
Jacobson lasted just 11 minutes before having to leave the field due to a fractured hand. The injury kept him sidelined until the Chiefs' final match of Super Rugby Aotearoa, a little more than five months later.
"It was pretty difficult," Jacobson says. "The most difficult one was getting sent home from the World Cup early. That was a pretty tough time for me, obviously just with the highs of what had come before that and then that low.
"But it has taught me a lot about resilience mainly, and being patient as well. You can't rush injuries; you just have to bide your time, and also about giving myself a switch away from footy; being able to switch off footy and focus on something else and try not to get too caught up on not being there.
"It probably taught me a little bit about what other boys are going through as well with their injuries and a little bit of how to deal with them. That's probably the biggest thing I learned - through my head mainly. Jeez, every day, I was getting asked probably five, six, seven times 'how's the head?'
"You pretty quickly realise that if somebody's injured, probably don't ask them about their injury; try to just talk to them about something else."
After getting through the Chiefs' final game of 2020 unscathed, Jacobson began to return to his best playing for Waikato in the National Provincial Championship. During his time with Waikato, Jacobson got an extended run at No8, a position he had been hoping to get an opportunity in to show he is more than a one-position player.
The 24-year-old's performances at the back of the scrum at NPC level translated to Super Rugby, as he spent time wearing No6 and No8 during the Chiefs' season and took every opportunity to flash his attacking ability as well as his brick-wall defensive play.
The All Blacks selectors took note, with Jacobson named in their latest squad.
"As soon as I left the environment, it was a goal of mine to get back into it," Jacobson says. "I'd had a taste of what it was like and loved every moment of it. So it was always in the back of my head - wanting to get back in the All Blacks. But I guess as most players would say, when you're in another competition, you have to focus on what's in front of you.
"I guess you have that in the back of your mind as a big picture goal. But you just have to focus on the smaller things week to week, how you can be the best you that you can be and what work-ons you need to nail away at."
Reflecting on what has been a rocky 18 months, Jacobson says it's a different feeling to return to the All Blacks environment after having a small sample of it, then having it all taken away.
"I'd say they're two different feelings. The first time, there was a lot more adrenaline around it. As excited as I was this time, I'd say the first time was probably the most exciting. This time around, it feels a little more rewarding after what I've been through and what I've had to do to get back here."
