Overview
- Sititi suffered successive blows to the head during the Chiefs v Reds match and was groggy on the field before being escorted to Waikato Hospital for scans.
- The incident began with a high tackle by Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, which drew a 10-minute yellow card, and ended with Sititi clashing heads with team-mate Sione Ahio.
- Chiefs medics treated Sititi on the turf while his body shook involuntarily, a moment captain Luke Jacobson called one of the scariest he had seen on a rugby field.
- The Chiefs say hospital scans showed no structural damage and Sititi was released home, but he will be managed through formal concussion protocols and will miss next week’s home semi-final.
- Sititi is a 23-year-old, 19-Test All Black and the 2024 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, so his enforced absence could affect the Chiefs’ selection plans and puts near-term inclusion in the incoming All Blacks squad in doubt.