All Blacks halfback Noah Hotham has revealed the severity of his ankle injury which saw him only last nine minutes in their record 43-10 Rugby Championship defeat to the Springboks in Wellington.
Making his first test start, Hotham injured his ankle while attempting to tackleSpringboks lock Lood de Jager. Hotham also sustained a knock to the head for good measure.
Surprisingly, Hotham managed to walk off the field, as he went for a head injury assessment which he failed.
It was a disappointing outcome for the 22-year-old who was making his return from a high ankle sprain, sustained during the third test against France in July.
New Zealand Rugby have since confirmed the 22-year-old had surgery on a fractured fibula on Monday, ruling him out of the upcoming Bledisloe Cup tests against the Wallabies.
Despite the injury, Hotham appeared to be in good spirits, posting a photo from his hospital bed on his Instagram story, showing his left leg in a giant cast.
He then also shared a photo of the X-ray.
Noah Hotham's injury was posted on his Instagram page.
They’ve used Cam Roigard, Cortez Ratima, Finlay Christie, Hotham and Kyle Preston in 2025, with the latter making his test debut in the 24-17 win at Eden Park.
However, coach Scott Robertson is optimistic both Roigard and Ratima could be back to face the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland on September 27.
Roigard has been dealing with a stress fracture in his right foot, while Ratima has a rib injury.
The All Blacks sit third in the Rugby Championship standings heading into the final two rounds. The Wallabies sit top on 11 points, with the Springboks and All Blacks on 10, while Argentina are a further point behind.
All four sides have a 2-2 record.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.
