Injury forces out All Blacks' Mauger
New Zealand centre Aaron Mauger is out of Saturday’s Test against Wales after being forced home with a cartilage tear in his right knee.
Mauger sustained the injury in New Zealand’s opening tour match, the 41-20 victory over England, and then aggravated it during training in Paris last week.
He missed New Zealand’s back-to-back victories over France and is expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery when he returns to Christchurch.
But New Zealand head coach Graham Henry, the former Wales boss, is not short of inside centre options for his return to the Millennium Stadium.
Mauger was replaced by Luke McAlister, who made his Test debut against the Lions in 2005, for New Zealand’s 47-3 victory in Lyon 10 days ago.
Last Saturday the powerful Ma’a Nonu, normally an outside centre, made his first Test start at 12 in what Henry described as his strongest possible selection.
Henry is scheduled to announce the All Blacks team to tackle Wales at 5pm this afternoon.
