Rugby World Cup blow: All Black Sevu Reece ruled out for season

All Black Sevu Reece in for a try during a test against Ireland. Photo / Dean Purcell.

Sevu Reece’s season is over.

The Crusaders and All Blacks wing has been dealt a cruel hand in what shaped as a big year in 2023, diagnosed with an ACL injury which will see him sidelined until 2024.

Reece sustained the injury in the Crusaders’ win over the Blues in Auckland on March 18 when he was awkwardly cleaned out at the ruck by Rieko Ioane while trying to turn the ball over. However, the club have only just been able to reveal the severity of the issue, confirming the 26-year-old is due to undergo surgery in the coming weeks.

“He’ll be back in 2024,” Crusaders coach Scott Robertson said. “We really feel for him. He’s been incredible for us and it’s a big loss. A lot of hard work will get him back to where he was beforehand, being a world class wing.”

The injury not only rules Reece out of the Super Rugby Pacific season but also the Rugby World Cup this year in France.

Reece emerged on the international stage in 2019, earning a starting spot in the knockout stages of that year’s World Cup. Reece played six tests for the All Blacks last season including all three in the home series defeat to Ireland.

He last took the field in black against Wales in Cardiff but lost his starting spot to Mark Telea who impressed in the win over Scotland and the draw with England at Twickenham. Despite that, he would have backed his chances of earning a spot at his second World Cup given his early season form.

Fellow World Cup hopeful Ethan Blackadder has also seen his season impacted by injury, with the energetic loose forward expected to be sidelined for six weeks due to a calf tear.

It’s the second time in as many seasons that Blackadder has had a lengthy stint on the sidelines, with his 2022 season derailed by a shoulder injury suffered in the Crusaders’ quarter-final win over the Reds.

“It’s part of playing rugby, and it’s part of being an athlete,” Robertson said of his side’s injury issues. “You’d like it a little more spread out, or to not happen at all, but it’s just a part of it.

“You’ve just got to get around the guys that have had injuries. We make a big deal about it and make sure we support them all the way. It’s tough for them.”

They join an already busy casualty ward, which includes four of the team’s locking options - Sam Whitelock, Quentin Strange, Mitchell Dunshea and Zach Gallagher.

Because of this, the Crusaders have been allowed by New Zealand Rugby to field captain Scott Barrett for tomorrow night’s clash against the Reds in Brisbane despite him being due for a mandatory All Blacks rest week. The All Blacks stand-down protocols require players from the national team to play no more than five Super Rugby Pacific games in a row, and Barrett has featured in every Crusaders game so far this season.

“With Scott, there’s an individualised programme and it can be adaptable depending on the situation. The good thing is he can get two weeks after this, a clear break with the bye. We’ve managed him well and he’s in good condition.”

Crusaders: Fergus Burke, Pepesana Patafilo, Braydon Ennor, Dallas McLeod, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Richie Mo’unga, Noah Hotham, Christian Lio-Willie, Tom Christie, Sione Havili Talitui, Dominic Gardiner, Scott Barrett, Tamaiti Williams, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody.

Reserves: Brodie McAlister, George Bower, Seb Calder, Jamie Hannah, Corey Kellow, Willi Heinz, Will Gaulter, Chay Fihaki.