Quinn Tupaea's hopes of making the All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad next year hang in the balance with the extent of his injury revealed.
The All Blacks and Chiefs midfielder has been ruled out of rugby for nine months following the ugly cleanout by Wallabies lock Darcy Swain in the first Bledisloe test.
There were hopes that Tupaea would not require surgery and would be sidelined for around three months, however, the All Blacks confirmed on Thursday that fresh scans revealed extensive damage to his ACL.
He will therefore miss the entirety of the Super Rugby Pacific 2023 season and faces a race against time for the Rugby World Cup in France.
Wallabies' lock Darcy Swain copped a six-week ban for his actions that led to Tupaea's injury. However, he will miss just three tests for the Wallabies after controversially being named him in the Australia A squad for their three-game series against Japan.
