All Blacks center Quinn Tupaea hopes to return to action ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup as he prepares for knee surgery following a season-ending injury sustained against Australia last month.
Wallabies suspension Darcy Swain has been banned for six weeks over the controversial purge, which tore the 23-year-old’s knee ligaments in New Zealand’s win over Australia in Melbourne and sidelined Tupaea until the middle of next year.
“I’ve had a couple of days to process it and yeah it was pretty tough, but I think I’m getting through the other side here,” he told Newstalk ZB Radio.
“I’ll be in braces for six weeks or so but be on the move all the time and, yes, just slowly working on it and hopefully playing again in nine months.
“That’s the goal at the moment.”
Tupaea will miss all of next year’s super rugby season and faces a tough challenge of reclaiming a spot in the All Blacks squad ahead of the World Cup, which begins in France in October.
The All Blacks were outraged by Swain’s behaviour, with full-back Beauden Barrett describing the incident as a “free shot” at a defenseless Tupaea as the Aussie clattered against his extended leg.
Swain has been suspended for six weeks but will miss just three Tests after being picked up by an Australian senior team for a tour of Japan, giving him the freedom to play a part in the Wallabies’ European tour at the end of the season.
“I thought I won a penalty, heard the whistle and then I felt a bit of force hit my knee from the side,” Tupaea said of the incident.
“I’ve done my (MCL) before, so I kind of knew what it felt like, and that’s what it felt like initially. I just knew right away.
“It actually hurt quite a bit and when I got up to test it myself, my knee kind of collapsed inward.”