All Blacks Halfback hit with long injury break

Hurricanes and All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard has been ruled out of rugby for up to six months after it was confirmed he suffered a rupture to his left patella tendon on Saturday.

Roigard went down awkwardly in the second half of his side’s 47-12 victory over the Highlanders which saw the Hurricanes retain their perfect record start to Super Rugby Pacific season.

The club confirmed today that the 23-year-old underwent successful surgery in Auckland yesterday and will miss the rest of the Hurricanes’ campaign.

“Provided all goes well with his rehabilitation, he could be back as soon as six months from now,” the statement said.

The All Blacks halfback was left clutching his left knee after being hit hard in a tackle by Highlanders opposite James Arscott. Roigard had tidied up a loose ball and was looking for a pass as Arscott made a dominant tackle from Roigard’s blindside.

As the ensuing ruck dispersed following the call of a knock-on, Roigard remained on the turf with a look of anguish on his face. Medical staff were quick to get onto the pitch and assessed the injury before the star half was taken from the field on a medicab, the game resuming after about a seven-minute delay.

It’s a big loss for the Hurricanes as Roigard has started 2024 in the same vein of form he held throughout 2023 and has been a key part of their offence.

It’s a blow, too, for All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, with Roigard expected to be part of his plans for the July test series against England and the Rugby Championship.

Roigard made his test debut off the bench against the Wallabies in Melbourne last year before playing three matches at the Rugby World Cup in France.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission