Wallace Sititi is having surgery on his knee. Photo / Photosport
Wallace Sititi is having surgery on his knee. Photo / Photosport
The Chiefs are facing a nervous wait to discover whether Wallace Sititi will miss the entire Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
The All Blacks loose forward sustained a previously undisclosed knee injury on the end-of-year tour, where he concluded a standout season by playing 80minutes in all five matches.
Sititi’s performances in the Northern Hemisphere helped him crown 2024 by being awarded World Rugby breakthrough player of the year. But at some point of the tour – as yet unknown to Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan – he suffered an injury that put 2025 in jeopardy.
Sititi will have surgery on Friday to discover the extent of the damage, having waited weeks for an appointment that seems set to deliver bad news.
“The fact that he’s got to have surgery gives you an indication that it’s reasonably serious,” McMillan said.
“He’s able to walk around, so it’s one of those little niggles that you never truly know the extent of until you get under the surgeon’s knife and they can give some clarity.”
McMillan was unable to offer clarity about when the injury occurred, with Sititi and his fellow All Blacks on leave and away from their Super Rugby sides until later this month.
A prognosis will be known soon after surgery and likely bring a significant setback to a Chiefs team coming off consecutive runner-up finishes.
“A huge loss,” McMillan said. “Everyone’s seen how he’s played over the last 12 months and it’s never nice to lose players of that calibre.
“It’s unfortunate that he’s just not out there playing. He generates a lot of excitement for his ability, we’ll miss him, and all we can do is jump in behind the young man and help with his rehab – however long that takes – and get him back out on the field.”
Sititi played a massive role in reaching last year’s final, beginning his rookie campaign on the bench before breaking into the starting XV with dynamic ball-carrying and a skillset that made him an appealing prospect to All Blacks selectors.
The Chiefs remained careful to manage the 22-year-old’s workload while his importance steadily grew. Having been restricted to 40 minutes across the first six rounds of the season, Sititi started at the back of the scrum in six of the next eight, only twice playing beyond the 66th minute.
A further three starts came in the playoff rounds – including a man-of-the-match semifinal performance against the Hurricanes – and on each occasion he was replaced.
Wallace Sititi was a regular starter on the northern tour. Photo / Photosport
Sititi, however, soon became an integral part of an All Blacks side searching for consistency under new coach Scott Robertson.
After debuting off the bench against Fiji and making another cameo in the loss to Argentina, Sititi started the final three Rugby Championship matches at No 6 and twice played 80 minutes.
That was followed by five full matches in as many weeks on the northern tour, his efforts on the blindside and at No 8 helping the All Blacks secure four wins.
Sititi will now be relegated to a spectator role for at least the start of the new season, hindering a Chiefs team who will be missing the Japan-bound Shaun Stevenson for the first three games.
“Every team is never immune to injury, and you go deep in the competition through the strength of your squad with individuals,” McMillan said. “While we’ll miss them, we’ve got a lot of other very good rugby players that will step up.”
The coach was satisfied at least with an arrangement that will see Stevenson enjoy a short-term sabbatical with Kubota Spears before heading to Japan on a more permanent basis next season.
Though McMillan did warn the one-cap All Black he would return home with no guarantees about his fullback spot.
“One thing we respect is experience and time in the jersey, but that’s not a rite of passage to starting,” he said.
“Whether you’ve just walked through the door for the first time this year or you’re a 10-year veteran, you have to earn the opportunity to go out and play, so he’ll be no different.
“He’ll be available from round four onwards and we’ll welcome him back with open arms – and hopefully injury-free.”
