The All Blacks’ 39-22 victory over a resolute Argentina has been soured by the likely loss of loosehead Joe Moody for the season.
With the world champions already down to their bare bones at tighthead, the 31-Test Moody suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder in the second half of his side’s victory in New Plymouth on Saturday night and went to hospital for tests.
Should the worst be confirmed, Moody’s season will be over, leaving veteran Wyatt Crockett as the sole All Blacks prop with experience at Test level.
Incumbent tighthead Owen Franks has already been scratched for the season with an achilles tendon problem and Charlie Faumuina has departed for France.
“It looks like he’ll need operation so that’d be the end of the year for him, I’d say,” All Blacks coach Steve Hansen told reporters.
The Chiefs-based Kane Hames is a near certainty to step into the breach at loosehead, while Blues player Pauliasi Manu is a potential squad replacement.
Moody’s injury provides Hansen with yet another puzzle to solve, having watched his All Blacks again fail to play at their ruthless best in the Taranaki.
Despite scoring six tries to one and dominating the setpiece, New Zealand went into the break 16-15 behind and never truly dispatched Los Pumas.
Proceedings went further awry when Beauden Barrett was sin-binned in the 49th minute for repeated ruck infringements, only for bustling flanker Vaea Fifita – in his first Test start – to gallop over and trigger an All Blacks comeback.
Damian McKenzie and Barrett tries closed out the match.
Heading into the Test after two losses to South Africa, few predicted the Argentinians could live with the Kiwis, yet Hansen wasn’t surprised.
Los Pumas played a conservative game against the world champions, packing the breakdown and looking for three points at every opportunity.
It worked well for them, forcing the All Blacks into the handling and passing errors that have blighted their game since the third British and Irish Lions Test.
But in the end, Hansen’s troops made it home.
“We had moments where we really had to battle and think our way through some stuff that didn’t come easy for us,” Hansen said.
“We’ve come into this year and it’s not flowing as easily.
“We’re having to work at it and that’s probably what we need, (with them) putting a lot more pressure on us with line speed.”
The victory keeps the pressure off Hansen’s troops before next weekend’s Rugby Championship showdown against South Africa in Albany.