Will Jordan the latest Covid positive in All Blacks camp

Will Jordan is the latest All Black to be ruled out of this Saturday's first Test between Ireland and New Zealand, after testing positive for Covid-19.

The Crusaders star is the sixth member of the All Blacks camp to test positive in recent days, along with teammates David Havili and Jack Goodhue, as well as head coach Ian Foster and his assistants John Plumtree and Scott McLeod.

Jordan, World Rugby's 'Breakthrough Player of the Year' in 2021, would have been likely to start Saturday's first Test at Eden Park in Auckland, but his absence now opens the door for a possible debut for his Crusaders teammate Leicester Fainga'anuku.

It's a further blow to All Blacks preparations, with one of Havili or Goodhue also likely to have been named in the centre alongside Rieko Ioane.

Jordan will follow a seven-day isolation period as per New Zealand government guidelines, and while he would be cleared for the second Test in Dunedin on 9 July, his captain Sam Cane has hinted it could be the third Test a week later before the 24-year-old returns.

"We've talked about before, there’s a lot of depth and competition for places. I don’t know if [Jordan] was going to be starting or not, but I’d say he was a pretty good chance, but it just means someone else will step up in his place.

"Hopefully Covid doesn't knock him around too much and, realistically, he’s probably only a chance for the third Test," Cane said.

Yesterday, it was confirmed that former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt would be drafted into the All Blacks coaching team on an emergency basis, where he will link up with Foster's assistants Brad Mooar and Greg Feek, the latter of whom was Schmidt's scrum coach with Ireland.

Schmidt had been due to take up the role of 'national selector'