The All Blacks have been handed a worrying injury ahead of the opening test against the Springboks as Damian McKenzie came off before halftime with heavy strapping on his ankle.
The hope is that the early substitution was precautionary as the All Blacks had taken a 14-0 lead.
McKenzie had gone down early in the game after coming down heavily on his ankle in the opening minutes of the game against the Sharks.
He played on for nearly 30 more minutes, having one more stoppage to get it strapped during the half.
McKenzie was heavily involved in the wet first half in Durban.
McKenzie thought he had scored the second try when he gathered Quinn Tupaea’s chip through, but he had knocked the ball on as he initially gathered it amongst the waterlogged pitch.
McKenzie did then score the second try after linking it up with Fehi Fineanganofo, who had gathered a Jordie Barrett crossfield kick. Even then, the TMO was unsure if he had grounded the ball before getting put into touch. The evidence was inconclusive due to the splash from the pitch, not making the bottom of the ball visible, so the try was awarded as the on-field decision.
With just 10 or so days to go until the first test an ankle injury would be devastating for the All Blacks squad, who had to rest Cam Roigard as a precaution, send Billy Proctor home, with an injury and haven’t yet used a few players due to injury worries.
