With the end of the Super Rugby Pacific season in sight and the first All Blacks test of the year looming just beyond the horizon, an injury setback looks set to leave lock Josh Lord watching both from the sidelines.
The 23-year-old, who has been out of action since an ankle injury saw him leave the Chiefs’ sixth-round match against the Crusaders early, is expected to miss the next eight weeks due to a knee injury.
“We’re just going through a process with Josh at the moment,” Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said.
“We’re a little concerned that some of the injuries around his leg were taking a little longer to heal than we anticipated.”
It’s the latest in a growing list of injury issues for the four-test All Black, who has made just three appearances for the Chiefs this season as an ankle injury meant he was unavailable to make his season debut until round four, before his campaign was again brought to a halt in round six.