All Blacks’ Sevu Reece ruled out for a season

All Blacks will miss the services of winger Sevu Reece after he was diagnosed with an ACL injury which will see him out until 2024.

The winger was trying to turn the ball over when he was clumsily cleaned out at the ruck by Rieko Loane during the Crusaders' victory against the Blues in Auckland on March 18.

The club has revealed the severity of the issue and confirmed that the 26-year-old is due to undergo surgery in the coming weeks.

The injury will see the speedster miss out on the Super Rugby Pacific season as well as the Rugby World Cup in France this year.

Reece made his international debut in 2019, earning a starting position in the World Cup's knockout rounds. He participated in six games for the All Blacks last year, including all three of the games against Ireland in the home series.

He joins an already busy casualty ward of international players like Sam Whitelock, Quentin Strange, Mitchell Dunshea, and Zach Gallegher.

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Meanwhile, Crusaders’ Ethan Blackadder has also seen his season affected by injury and he will be sidelined for six weeks due to a calf tear.

Due to the injury, the New Zealand Rugby has allowed Crusaders to field Captain Scott Barrett for tomorrow night’s clash against the Reds in Brisbane despite him being on a mandatory All Blacks rest week.

The All Blacks stand-down protocols require players from the national team to play no more than five Super Rugby Pacific games in a row, and Barrett has featured in every Crusaders’ game this season.