An All Blacks prop misses the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific season.

The Blues confirmed on Wednesday that Ofa Tu’ungafasi, who came off the bench in all five of their 2024 end-of-year Tests, requires neck surgery.

No timeframe was given for the 32-year-old’s rehabilitation, putting him in doubt for the All Blacks’ three-Test series against France in July.

In some good news for the struggling Blues, who are 10th on the 11-team log after six rounds, several players will return from injury for Saturday’s match against the Hurricanes in Auckland, including captain Patrick Tuipulotu and flyhalf Beauden Barrett.

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“The group is putting in the hard work to produce a quality performance,” coach Vern Cotter said. “Hopefully, they will come through a big week of effort on the training field, and the team can focus on getting our processes right for a positive performance.

“Of course, we are aware of our position on the table, but our focus is on our performance.”

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