Sam Cane's neck fracture adds to ABs injury worries

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Their "Houdini act" at Loftus may have scripted one of the most memorable wins for the All Blacks but the edge-of-the-seat thriller against the Springboks also made the all-conquering side lose one of its key 15.

A collision with Springboks loose forward Francois Louw in the 35th minute of the game saw All Blacks flanker Sam Cane being stretchered off the field with grimace of pain on his face and later his injury turned out to be a season-ending broken neck.

Twenty-six-year-old Cane went under the knife overnight to repair the fracture on the lower right side of his neck and will remain in South Africa for one week to recover.

All Blacks doctor Tony Paige told media after the nerve-jangling match, "we have every confidence he'll do well with that and then like any fracture it takes a couple of weeks and months. It will probably take about three months for the bone to get strong, but we'll just take it step by step.

"The operation is really just to keep everything in the right place so the bone can heal on its own accord," he added.

Sam Cane of the New Zealand during the Rugby Championship match against South Africa at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, October 6, 2018. /VCG File Photo

It's all but certain that the stalwart AB, who quite conspicuously stepped into the giant shoes of two-time World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw a few years ago and has already played 59 matches for one of the most decorated teams in world sports, will be out not only for the remaining fixtures of the season, but also the start of the next season, which will also have the 2019 Web Ellis Trophy, scheduled to begin in September next year.

The six-time Rugby Championship winners will soon embark on their end of year northern tour, which will see the ABs face off against trans-Tasmanian rivals, Australia in Yokohama for the third Bledisloe Cup at the end of October before playing Japan in Tokyo on November 3. Then the New Zealand squad heads to London for the first of their three matches against England, Ireland and Italy.

Incidentally, the All Blacks have been grappling with a slew of injuries over a period of time. Current captain Kieran Read recently made a comeback following his spinal surgery late last year while there is already an injured brigade, comprising of Dane Coles, Brodie Retallick, Liam Squire, Joe Moody and Nepo Laulala.