All Blacks suffer major blow as key man ruled out of Springboks series
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Ruled out.
The All Blacks have suffered a significant injury blow on their Greatest Rivalry Tour, with centre Billy Proctor ruled out of the remainder of the series in South Africa.
Proctor suffered a fractured shoulder blade during New Zealand’s 38-21 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday and will now return home.
The 27-year-old does not require surgery but is expected to be sidelined for between 10 and 12 weeks, bringing his involvement in the historic tour to a premature end.
His absence leaves All Blacks boss Dave Rennie with one fewer option in midfield ahead of the four-Test series against the Springboks, which gets underway at Ellis Park on August 22.
Proctor had started at outside centre against the Stormers, partnering Anton Lienert-Brown in midfield, as New Zealand eventually pulled away late on to begin their tour with a 38-21 victory.
Rieko Ioane, Quinn Tupaea and Lienert-Brown are among the remaining midfield options available to Rennie as attention begins to turn towards the Test series.
The All Blacks continue their run of matches against South African club sides when they face the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban on Tuesday, before taking on the Lions in Johannesburg in their final warm-up ahead of the first Springboks Test.
