Chiefs and All Blacks midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown has provided an update on the ankle injury that has ruled him out of Super Rugby Pacific since Round 1 of 2023.
27-year-old Lienert-Brown suffered an ankle injury early in the Chiefs’ opening clash of the year against the Crusaders and was forced from the field in the second half.
It was the midfielder’s first Super Rugby game since April of last year when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against the Blues.
The 99-cap Chief and 56-cap All Black has been sidelined since the latest injury occurred, while teammates Alex Nankivell, Rameka Poihipi and Curtis Rona have led the midfield in his absence.
With the Chiefs off to a flyer in 2023 and boasting a record of 6-0, Lienert-Brown hasn’t rushed back to the field but says he will aim for a return in the next few weeks.
“It’s been a bit of a niggly process,” Lienert-Brown told SENZ The Run Home.
“Obviously initially it was three to four weeks I was going to be out and back playing and then I got an MRI scan and there were a couple of opinions on my return to play time.
“We’ve sort of nailed that down now and I should be running in the next week or so and once I’m back up and running I shouldn’t be too far from playing.
“There’s no actual set date but it shouldn’t be too far after the bye next week.”
The Chiefs fended off the Blues on Saturday night in a clash between the northern neighbours, winning 20-13 at home to remain the only unbeaten team so far in 2023.
They will now head into a bye week before returning on April 15 to take on the Hurricanes at Sky Stadium.