Following the triumph of a winning test debut, All Black wing Waisake Naholo has suffered the heartbreak of hearing his World Cup dream is all but over after a scan revealed a cracked tibia.
Naholo will be out for three months, but coach Steve Hansen said there was a possibility he could be called in as cover in England October should another outside back succumb to injury.
"It's pretty disappointing for him and for us," Hansen said at the team's Christchurch hotel today before the squad of 31 travelled to Johannesburg via Sydney.
"We're all a bit shocked by it [diagnosis] because he was weight-bearing on it and he looked pretty good but he got back here last night and it got really sore so Doc thought he better get it scanned and in the scan there's a very fine crack in it. It means three months [out].
"There's no displacement, that's good, and if we can get him right and we do need an outside back replacement he'll be fit and ready to go by the middle of October.
Midfielder Ma'a Nonu said: "That's really unfortunate for Waisake. I think it's only a short-term thing - hopefully he'll heal well and have a speedy recovery. I thought he had a great game. He's had a great season, so all the best to the brother Waisake."
Naholo, who scored 13 tries for the Highlanders in their title-winning season this year, went on several scorching breaks against Argentina at AMI Stadium, including one up the middle of the field. He also went close to scoring a try in the corner but lost the ball.
Hansen said: "He impressed us and although he made a couple of small errors, the good things he did were very, very good. He will blossom into a very good All Black.
Also ruled out of the trip to South Africa was hooker Hika Elliot, who has a sore triceps, and outside back Nehe Milner-Skudder, who has sore ribs.
Missing from the squad, cut from 41, is Dan Carter and Sonny Bill Williams, with Hansen saying he wanted to freshen them up before the two Bledisloe Cup matches against Australia.
