All Blacks Skipper Barrett to Undergo Back Surgery, Miss up to Five Months
- All Blacks captain Scott Barrett will miss the Nations Championship Tests in July and the historic South Africa tour in August and September due to a back injury requiring surgery by week's end.
- After exhausting non-invasive treatments, Barrett's ongoing back problem leaves surgery as the only remaining option, with Crusaders head coach Rob Penney stating the captain must 'get himself right' after the procedure.
- New Zealand faces Nations Championship Tests against France on July 4, Italy on July 11, and Ireland on July 18, followed by four Tests against World Cup champion Springboks and provincial matches against Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions.
- Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea and Codie Taylor emerge as leading candidates for the captaincy under new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie, who replaced Scott Robertson in January and has yet to name a successor.
- Barrett's captaincy as New Zealand's 81st Test captain, which began under Robertson in 2024, concludes after just 11 Tests, marking an abrupt end to his brief tenure leading the All Blacks.
31 Articles
31 Articles
All Blacks suffer major blow as skipper ruled OUT of Springboks series
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett was on Wednesday ruled out for up to five months because of a back injury that will require surgery, meaning he will miss the four-Test series against South Africa. Crusaders coach Rob Penney told reporters in Christchurch that 88-Test veteran Barrett would have to go under the knife this week. “He has tried every non-invasive trick you could do to get right and it just hasn’t come off, so he’ll be in the operati…
The All Blacks captain, Scott Barrett, will be operated by the weekend and is expected to miss up to five months of competition.
All Blacks skipper Barrett to undergo back surgery, miss up to five ...
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium




















