Anton Segner will play no further part in New Zealand's tour of South Africa after undergoing keyhole surgery on a swollen ankle, head coach Dave Rennie confirmed following the All Blacks' 41-35 win over the Lions at Ellis Park on Tuesday night.
Segner, the first Germany-born All Black, had been one of New Zealand's standout performers in the tour's early fixtures, starting against the Stormers and Bulls before being named in the matchday squad for last Saturday's first Test in Pretoria. He was forced to withdraw on the morning of that match, which New Zealand won 33-16.
The 25-year-old loose forward's absence adds to a mounting injury list. Four All Blacks have already been sent home from the tour, and two further squad members are managing concussion protocols.
One of the concussed players, lock Josh Lord, could be replaced in the second Test squad by Patrick Tuipulotu, who captained the All Blacks in Johannesburg and skippered the side's second-half comeback after they trailed by 18 points. Tuipulotu was taken off before the hour mark but was otherwise influential in a match where New Zealand overturned a 35-17 deficit. He was overlooked for the first Test.
Rennie described the performance as "mixed", noting the Lions' tactical discipline gave his side problems. "At times we tried to play too much. The Lions kicked a lot more than us and benefited from that. We created a lot of opportunities but just did not do the obvious enough times."
The Lions led emphatically for large stretches, with Ivan van Rooyen's side cutting loose in both opening phases before New Zealand's experience told in the final quarter. "We lost it in the last 12 minutes," Van Rooyen acknowledged, though he credited his players' application throughout. "I believed we could maybe pull off a miracle. Our captain said he had goosebumps while playing."
The second Test takes place in Cape Town on Saturday.