All Blacks prospect Pari Pari Parkinson ruled out for 12 months
Highlanders star and All Blacks prospect Pari Pari Parkinson has been dealt a significant blow after suffering a serious knee injury that will keep him sidelined for an entire year.
Parkinson left the field in pain after Tasman teammate Anton Segner collided into him while tackling Wellington midfielder Peter Umaga-Jensen during last weekend's NPC clash in Blenheim.
The Highlanders announced on Friday that Parkinson subsequently sustained a "multi-ligament rupture" to his right knee and will miss the entirety of next year's Super Rugby Pacific campaign and most, if not all, of the NPC in 2022.
The diagnosis is a cruel one for Parkinson, who has been tipped as a potential All Blacks candidate for some time now due to his enormous 2.04m, 119kg frame.
It also serves as familiar yet unwelcome news for the Highlanders, who have already dealt with or are currently dealing with similarly serious knee injuries to fullback Sam Gilbert, halfback Folau Fakatava and wing Jona Nareki.
A formidable presence at the lineout, a rugged defender and an aggressive ball-carrier, Parkinson, who signed a one-year contract extension with the Highlanders in March, will be a sorely missed at the Dunedin-based franchise next year.
Assistant coach Clarke Dermody empathised with the 25-year-old lock, who is a Maori All Blacks representative, after hearing about his latest injury, which comes after he recovered from a serious ankle injury earlier this year.
“I feel for Pari, he has worked hard to get into good shape after a couple of injury setbacks recently, his form for Tasman has been outstanding and he certainly looked set for a big season with us," Dermody said in a statement.
"We will work closely with him during his rehab and make sure he comes back strong and ready to go in 2023."
With Josh Dickson, Bryn Evans and Manaaki Selby-Rickit already in their ranks for next season, the Highlanders will begin their search for a player to replace Parkinson.
Latest Comments
Great to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
Go to comments