The All Blacks have suffered a worrying injury blow following their 50-19 demolition of Australia, with Leroy Carter facing a potentially serious spell on the sidelines.
New Zealand ran riot against the Wallabies, but their emphatic Bledisloe Cup victory came at a cost.
Carter was forced off after scoring a second-half try, with the winger appearing to suffer a nasty ankle injury.
The incident also raised questions over a possible hip-drop tackle, with All Blacks boss Dave Rennie delivering a grim assessment after the final whistle.
Leroy Carter suffers worrying injury against Australia
Carter's afternoon came to a painful end in the 67th minute.
Peter Lakai produced a superb offload to send the winger racing over for New Zealand's fifth try.
However, Australia forward Rob Valetini held onto Carter from behind as he crossed the line.
Valetini's weight appeared to land on the winger's lower legs, trapping his ankle awkwardly beneath him.
Carter was left in obvious pain and needed help leaving the field.
Josh Moorby replaced him for the closing stages as the All Blacks wrapped up a dominant 50-19 victory.
The result was another statement from New Zealand, although Carter's injury took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive afternoon.
Dave Rennie delivers grim injury assessment
Speaking after the match, Rennie admitted he feared the worst for Carter.
The All Blacks boss compared the incident to a hip-drop tackle, a technique that has attracted increasing scrutiny across rugby.
Rennie said: "Leroy, yeah, it didn't look good. Sort of like a hip-drop type tackle, landed on the back of his ankle."
He added that he had not yet spoken to the medical team but feared the injury could be serious.
The full extent of Carter's injury remains unclear, with New Zealand awaiting further medical assessment.
Any extended absence would be a frustrating setback for the winger following another impressive attacking contribution.
World Rugby moves to outlaw hip-drop tackles
The timing of Carter's injury is particularly notable following a major announcement from World Rugby.
On 7 October, just three days before the Bledisloe Cup clash, rugby's governing body announced that hip-drop tackles would be explicitly outlawed from 1 November 2026.
The dangerous technique involves a defender dropping their body weight onto an opponent's lower limbs while completing a tackle.
Such challenges can place enormous pressure on a player's ankles and knees.
Under the new law, a hip-drop tackle will carry a minimum sanction of a penalty.
The change is designed to reduce the risk of serious lower-limb injuries.
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New Zealand will now wait for the results of Carter's medical assessment before determining how long he could be unavailable.
The winger's departure was one of the few negatives from an otherwise dominant performance against Australia.
For now, the All Blacks have another injury concern to manage, with Rennie's initial assessment offering little encouragement.
Before publishing: I'd verify Rennie's exact final sentence against the recording, as the original transcription was unclear. I've also deliberately avoided saying Carter has officially been stood down, because that hasn't been confirmed.
