Newby out for the season with shoulder damage

Craig Newby

Otago captain Craig Newby has been ruled out of rugby for the rest of the year because of a shoulder injury.

Hard working loose forward Newby will miss the rest of his team's Air New Zealand Cup campaign and is out of contention for selection on the All Blacks' year-ending tour to Europe.

The 27 year old told his teammates after their Air New Zealand Cup win against Hawke's Bay yesterday that he would undergo surgery later this week and be sidelined for at least four months.

Newby said the injury, which restricted movement, had slowly worsened to the point that it was affecting his play and therefore his contribution to the team.

"I'm desperately sad I can't continue with Otago this year, I would love to have played in the Ranfurly Shield challenge against Canterbury but at this level you have to be 100 per cent and I wasn't."

Otago coach Steve Martin said losing a player as influential as the three-test All Black was a major blow.

"He's been troubled by the shoulder for a while now and it was a difficult decision to have the operation, but it was the right thing to do," Martin said.

"We'll miss him, but it's fortunate that we have two very able vice captains in Josh Blackie and Neil Brew and a core leadership group within the team."

Either flanker Blackie or centre Brew was likely to be named as the new captain this week.

Newby has been a fringe All Blacks contender in recent seasons.

His three tests have been off the reserve bench -- twice in 2004 and once in June, late in the second test against Ireland at Eden Park.

- NZPA