It looked innocuous enough at first; Piri Weepu went down in a tackle after a clearing kick. But when he didn't get up straight away, and when the camera panned in, it was obviously serious; his right foot was at an angle which God had never intended it to be.
It has now been confirmed that Weepu has a broken leg, and that his 2010 season is over. That's a tragedy for him, and it has major implications for the selection of the All Black team for the end-of-season tour. Weepu has been playing the best rugby of his career this season.
We reckon that Wellington coach Andre Bell got a phone call as soon as Weepu had been carried off; why else would he have subbed Alby Matthewson and replaced him with a player who had never played halfback before? But critically for the All Black selectors, they have lost both Weepu's versatitlity, and his skills as a back-up goal-kicker.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Piri Weepu this morning. Let's hope that it is a clean break, and that it heals quickly so that he can hit the gound running in 2011.
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