All Black Waisake Naholo out for eight weeks with broken leg
Tuesday 1 March 2016 11:46, UK
All Blacks winger Waisake Naholo will be sidelined for up to eight weeks after suffering a fracture to his right leg during the Highlanders' loss at the Blues last weekend.
Team doctor Greg Macleod said Naholo had suffered a new fracture in the same leg that he injured before last year's Rugby World Cup.
"While this is very unfortunate for Waisake, the positive news is that this injury is not as bad as his last fracture," he said.
The previous break was initially expected to rule Naholo out of the World Cup but he returned to his birthplace Fiji and sought out a traditional healer.
The unorthodox treatment, comprising an application made from a special leaf applied to the leg, appeared to work and Naholo was part of the squad that won the trophy at Twickenham.
The Highlanders said the winger would not be going to Fiji for another dose of traditional medicine and Macleod would oversee his recovery.
The Super Rugby champions will also be without Japan scrum-half Fumiaki Tanaka for eight weeks after he injured his calf in training.
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph was philosophical about the injuries.
"To lose players for an extended period is always disappointing but you have to expect injuries to occur at some point," he said.
"As a group we simply deal with it and move on."
The Highlanders face the Hurricanes on Saturday in a repeat of last year's title decider, live on Sky Sports 2 HD.
Live Super Rugby
