All Black Richard Kahui will miss the rest of the season after his latest shoulder injury couldn’t heal without surgery.
Kahui dislocated his shoulder against Queensland in May, putting him out of the just-completed Test series against Ireland.
He had hoped to play again this year but coach Steve Hansen confirmed on Sunday that the injury would require surgery.
“He’s now going to have surgery, and that could be six months before he’s back playing, so we won’t see him until next year’s Super 15,” Hansen said.
“It’s a real shame for him, because he was playing outstandingly good rugby.”
Kahui had broken into the All Blacks starting 15 during the World Cup as a winger and looked set to continue this season until the injury arrived.
It follows a damaged left shoulder in 2009, a fracture in his right shoulder in 2010 and an operation to fix rotator cuff and cartilage damage.
“It’s not the first time it’s happened, that’s the problem, but at the same time having done it and gone through it before he knows there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Hansen said.
“Though it’s devastating on one hand, on the other hand he’s had the experience of going through it and we’ll manage him well in conjunction with the Chiefs and get him back as soon as we can.”
Assistant coach Ian Foster believed Kahui was capable of overcoming the latest setback and returning for the Chiefs and the All Blacks.
“It’s going to require a big commitment from him, particularly to mentally go through that process again,” he said.
“I think he’s certainly capable of it, he’s shown that.”