Dalton Papali'i may have played his final match for the Blues after suffering a suspected broken jaw during their 36-20 Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday night.
According to a report by Stuff, the 37-test All Blacks loose forward was injured early in the match but attempted to continue playing before leaving the field in the 12th minute.
Papali'i is set to join French club Castres Olympique, meaning the injury could mark the end of his Blues career.
Blues coach Vern Cotter said the 28-year-old was believed to have fractured his jaw and was sent for scans after the match, as reported by Stuff.
“He tried to stay out there. The doc said it was no good,” Cotter said from One New Zealand Stadium on Friday night.
“Losing Dalton hurt us,” he added.
Papali'i was replaced by Anton Segner at openside flanker, but the Blues struggled to recover as the Crusaders held firm despite being reduced to 13 players late in the game.
According to Stuff, Reserve Crusaders winger Kurtis MacDonald was sent off for taking out Blues first five-eighth Stephen Perofeta in the air, while teammate Jack Sexton was sin-binned during the final quarter.
Despite the numerical advantage, the Blues failed to capitalise as the Crusaders secured a bonus-point victory.
The loss leaves the Blues third on the ladder, only six points ahead of the fourth-placed Crusaders, with difficult matches against the Hurricanes and Chiefs still to come before the playoffs.
“We were certainly hoping for something better than that, but it was one of those evenings where it seemed we couldn’t catch a break. Also, we didn’t play particularly well,” Cotter said, Stuff has quoted.
“If you put those two together, you’re defending a lot and not getting what you want,” Stuff has quoted.
Cotter criticised his side’s execution and physicality, particularly during the period when the Crusaders were down to 13 men.
“We’ve got [an attack against] 13 players and throw the ball into touch,” he said, as quoted by Stuff.
“They were almost training against us at times,” Cotter said of the Crusaders’ dominance. “It felt like we weren’t getting any access whatsoever,” Stuff has quoted.
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