Super Rugby Pacific wrap: All Blacks might be forced to wing it after Caleb Tangitau injury

Monday, 18 May 2026

Caleb Tangitau suffered a cruel season-ending injury blow in the Highlanders’ loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday night.

Dave Rennie would have had a bit of thinking to do on his flight back to Japan, as the All Blacks right-wing berth now makes for quite the conundrum.

The new All Blacks coach’s week back in New Zealand ended on a sombre note as he watched on from the grandstand at FMG Stadium Waikato on Friday night, when Highlanders star Caleb Tangitau suffered the cruellest of blows with his 81st minute achilles tendon rupture in the 42-12 Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Chiefs.

The 23-year-old was close to a national call-up last year, and after going to another level this season, was seemingly a shoo-in for Rennie’s first 34-man squad for July’s Nations Championship tests, if not shaping as the first-choice No 14.

With Tangitau’s year now over, though, Rennie’s thoughts will quickly have to turn to how he is going to shape his outside backs division, at a time when there aren’t exactly several others staking their claims, outside of the big elephant in the room that is Fehi Fineanganofo.

Caleb Clarke will surely be locked in as left wing, while Leicester Fainga’anuku, however versatile, has rarely featured on the right side.

With his 16th try, Fehi Fineanganofo equalled the Super Rugby season record, in the Hurricanes’ win over the Blues at Eden Park on Saturday night.

Chiefs pair Emoni Narawa and Leroy Carter are currently sidelined but will now sense a grander opportunity upon their returns around playoff time.

Fineanganofo is, of course, still eligible this year, before heading off to English club Newcastle. Coincidentally, he just moved to the No 14 at the weekend to accommodate Kini Naholo’s return.

It didn’t slow him down, posting game-high numbers for metres (95), defenders beaten (7) and clean breaks (2) in the 47-24 win over the Blues at Eden Park on Saturday night, where he also (despite his forward pass right in front of assistant referee Warwick Lahmert) scored his 16th try of the campaign, to equal the Super Rugby season record.

Generally players who are heading offshore have been left out of the equation. But does Fineanganofo now indeed enter the frame?

Or does someone like Hurricanes team-mate Josh Moorby come into contention?

Or does now Will Jordan become more of a serious option in the No 14 instead of at fullback?

Young Highlanders loose forward Lucas Casey had a storming game in front of All Blacks coach Dave Rennie on Friday night.

Plenty to ponder for Rennie.

Young loosies to the fore

There might have been more head-scratching for Rennie, but in a good way, after a couple of young loose forwards put in barnstorming displays over the weekend.

The loosies is hardly an area short on depth, although Dalton Papali’i, Hoskins Sotutu, Devan Flanders, and possibly Samipeni Finau, leaving, does open it up a little.

Sure enough, the future still looks bright, after the Highlanders’ Lucas Casey and the Blues’ Malachi Wrampling both stood tall in losing efforts.

Casey, save for his accidental boot to the face that knocked out Damian McKenzie, did everything right in front of the All Blacks coach in Hamilton, having started the game at No 7 but swiftly shifted to No 8 when Nikora Broughton was forced off injured.

The 23-year-old, who had been brilliant for Otago in the NPC last year, is only in the Highlanders’ wider-training squad, so is only afforded game-time if there are sufficient injuries in the ranks.

He has now won 10 caps, and looks right at home, against the Chiefs scoring a powerful try from the back of the scrum on a night where he racked up a astonishing game-high numbers for carries (22), metres (126), defenders beaten (9), tackles (17, without a miss), as well as a pair of clean breaks and a turnover win.

Halfback Ereatara Enari stepped up superbly in Cam Roigard’s absence as the Hurricanes went closer to sealing the No 1 spot.

Wrampling has also been in good touch in this virtual rookie season (one cap for the Chiefs last year), and took it to the Canes with a fine performance of his own.

In a well-beaten Blues side, he led them for carries (10) and metres (58), and made a clean break, beat three defenders, made 13 tackles, and crossed the tryline with a powerful surge.

No Roigard, no worries

Cam Roigard’s calf injury that has him sidelined till the playoffs was a potentially crippling blow for the high-flying Hurricanes on their quest to try and secure the No 1 seeding.

Ereatara Enari then swiftly put that notion to bed with splendid performance in the No 9 jersey for Clark Laidlaw’s side (as well as playing the final 10 minutes on the wing), as they secured their first win at Eden Park since 2019.

The 28-year-old nine-test Samoa international and former Crusaders and Moana Pasifika rep was to the fore in a big way in the Canes’ attack, with crisp and clever distribution, as he laid on notched try assists, and none better than his no-look inside ball for Naholo’s score.

After looking like they would finish without the bonus point, the Canes then showed their quality to storm back and steal it back, which now puts them five points clear with two matches to play ‒ they host the Highlanders on Saturday night, before finishing away to the Crusaders.

The Blues’ loss means the Chiefs, who have the Crusaders in Christchurch this Friday night, then the Blues in Hamilton in the last round, now can’t finish any lower than second, after what was their 250th Super Rugby win ‒ a feat also managed by only the Crusaders, Brumbies and Hurricanes.

With the Blues on a bye this weekend, the Crusaders will be sniffing an opportunity to nab a home playoff after all, if they can inflict a second defeat on the Chiefs for the season, while after the Force beat the Reds on Saturday night, the Highlanders, ahead of a last-round bye, remain mathematically in the top-six mix.

Super Rugby Pacific, Rd 14

At FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton: Chiefs 42 (Wallace Sititi, Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Xavier Roe, Brodie McAlister, Kyle Brown tries; Damian McKenzie 4 con, Josh Jacomb 2 con) Highlanders 12 (Lucas Casey, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens tries; Cam Millar con). HT: 21-7.

At HFC Bank Stadium, Suva: Waratahs 50 (Ioane Moananu 2, Harry Potter, Max Jorgensen, Sid Harvey, Teddy Wilson, Angus Scott-Young, Apolosi Ranawai tries; Jack Bowen 3 con, Harvey 2 con) Fijian Drua 35 (Mesake Doge, Elia Canakaivata, Kitione Salawa, Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, Temo Mayanavanua tries; Kemu Valetini 4 con, Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula con). HT: 36-7.

At Eden Park, Auckland: Hurricanes 47 (Warner Dearns, Jordie Barrett, Pasilio Tosi, Kini Naholo, Fehi Fineanganofo, Raymond Tuputupu, Peter Lakai tries; Ruben Love 6 con) Blues 24 (Malachi Wrampling, AJ Lam, Kurt Eklund, Sam Darry tries; Beauden Barrett con, Stephen Perofeta con). HT: 21-0.

At HBF Park, Perth: Force 19 (Carlo Tizzano 2, Mac Grealy tries; Max Burey 2 con) Reds 14 (Joe Brial, Tim Ryan tries; Louis Werchon 2 con). HT: 7-7.

Points (games played): Hurricanes 50 (12), Chiefs 45 (12), Blues 38 (13), Crusaders 32 (12), Brumbies 29 (12), Reds 28 (12), Waratahs 26 (12), Highlanders 24 (13), Force 22 (12), Fijian Drua 20 (12), Moana Pasifika 4 (12).