Chiefs flanker Luke Jacobson has been ruled out of the remainder of Super Rugby Aotearoa due to injury.
On Tuesday, the Chiefs announced that the All Blacks forward had sustained a fractured metacarpal during the loss to the Blues in Hamilton on Saturday. The recovery period is estimated at five to six weeks.
It's the latest setback in a young career that has already been plagued by injury.
After a breakout campaign for the Chiefs in 2019, the 23-year-old was named to the All Blacks' Rugby World Cup squad, only to be forced to return home from Japan without having played a game due to concussion issues.
Jacobson had suffered three concussion over the course of 13 months prior to the knock that forced him out of tournament.
In February, Jacobson made his comeback to the field in the Chiefs' round four loss to the Brumbies but lasted just 10 minutes, after being forced from the field with a hamstring injury.
The Chiefs will likely look to one of Adam Thomson, Mitch Karpik, Mitch Brown or Tyler Ardron as Jacobson's replacement in the starting side.
Depending on Sam Cane's progress in recovery from a lower back strain, they may choose to play him on either side of the scrum in tandem with Lachlan Boshier.
The Hamilton-based side will take on the Crusaders in Christchurch on Sunday.
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