Rugby World Cup 2023: All Blacks v France - Emoni Narawa ruled out, could be replaced by forward

Emoni Narawa is heading home from the Rugby World Cup. Photo / Getty Images

By Liam Napier in Paris

Emoni Narawa’s World Cup campaign is over before it began.

In a cruel blow for the Chiefs wing, Narawa will return home after suffering a back injury in training this week.

After a breakout Super Rugby Pacific campaign, Narawa scored a try for the All Blacks on his test debut against the Pumas in Mendoza. He injured his back in that match and hasn’t been sighted since, but the All Blacks included him in their 33-man World Cup squad and were confident he would recover.

While Narawa was progressing towards a return, he suffered a setback while training in Lyon this week that will ultimately end his World Cup campaign before he had the chance to take the field.

“It’s incredibly sad,” coach Ian Foster said as the All Blacks arrived in Paris for their opening match against France on Saturday morning (NZT).

“In the Twickenham week, he ran his fastest time of the year. He was coming back. His preparation has been trending up. It’s been a niggling back from the Argentina test. He was coming right. He trained really well on Monday and it was the last thing he did in a skill block. He jarred it. It turns out it’s the other side of the disc. He’s worked hard to get here and we were excited about where he was at but the best thing for him now is to go and rehab at home,” Foster said.

“It’s not the nicest thing to do as a coach right at the start to tell someone they’re going home. He’s a popular member of this group and I know he’ll do the right thing and we’ll sort out the plan for a replacement after Friday’s game.”

The All Blacks opted for a 19 forwards/14 backs split in their World Cup squad that included a bloated number of outside backs.

With ample wing cover that includes Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Mark Telea and Will Jordan, the All Blacks are expected to instead call in a forward replacement for Narawa.

Brodie Retallick is nearing a comeback from his injured knee but with forwards coach Jason Ryan hinting blindside flanker Shannon Frizell could miss further pool matches with his lingering hamstring issue, the All Blacks could call up an additional loose forward.

Should the All Blacks adopt that route, Samipeni Finau, having debuted in Dunedin against the Wallabies, is a leading contender. Ethan Blackadder presents another standout option after he returned from injury for Tasman last weekend.

Taranaki and Chiefs lock Josh Lord is the other possible avenue the All Blacks could explore if they want second-row cover.

“We’ll weigh that up after Friday but we clearly have to make a change,” Foster said. “It could be there [wing], it could be in the loosies. Looking at the progress of Brodie Retallick, Shannon Frizell we’ll assess that after this weekend.”

France v All Blacks: Kickoff 7.15am, Saturday

Follow the match at nzherald.co.nz

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