The All Blacks’ crisis at scrumhalf has deepened with Noah Hotham ruled out for the remainder of the Rugby Championship.

The team confirmed that he had surgery on Monday after fracturing his fibula in a tackle on Springbok lock Lood de Jager just minutes into the clash at Wellington. It comes barely a week after he returned from a high ankle sprain picked up against France.

His absence compounds New Zealand’s halfback woes. Cam Roigard is already sidelined with a stress fracture, while Cortez Ratima suffered a broken rib against Argentina.

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Scott Robertson has been forced to turn to Finlay Christie and Kyle Preston, who both featured in the recent Eden Park Test against South Africa.

The All Blacks have a bye this week before facing the Wallabies in back-to-back Bledisloe Cup matches.

Robertson is hopeful Roigard and Ratima may recover in time to feature, but confirmed Hotham’s season is over after undergoing surgery.

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