The All Blacks management has confirmed that prop Ofa Tu'Ungafasi has been ruled out to tour to South Africa and will be replaced by debutant, Fletcher Newell.
Fletcher Newell will make his debut for the All Blacks if he is selected for the two tests to play in South Africa. In 2019 he was named New Zealand Rugby u/20 Player of the Year.
Tu'Ungafasi sustained a neck injury in the third test of the Steinlager Series and could not recover sufficiently to ensure his place for the trip to South Africa.
Ofa Tu'Ungafasi has gone from strength to strength since making his All Blacks debut in 2016. A defensive rock and big man, the softly-spoken Tu'ungafasi made his All Blacks debut in 2016 after establishing himself as one of the Blues’ standout players. He scored his first Test try against South Africa in 2017. and made five test appearances at the World Cup 2019.
