Luke Jacobson was “frustrated” as a combination of bad luck and being overlooked denied him any playing time in the All Blacks’ troubled 2025 under Scott Robertson.
The Chiefs captain was in each squad last year — at home and on tour — but was a mere spectator in a tumultuous test season that led to Robertson’s shock sacking in January.
The 29-year-old was alone in one unenviable aspect after an excellent Super Rugby Pacific campaign. Every other selected loose forward — even relative outsiders such as Dalton Papali’i and Christian Lio-Willie — got some opportunity in the All Blacks’ 13 tests.
Jacobson didn’t and even encountered the misfortune of injuring a quad in the warm-up before a scheduled start at No 8 on his home turf, against France in Hamilton last July.
The weeks ahead could be a defining period in Jacobson’s career. Skippering the Chiefs to their first Super Rugby title in 13 years, after coming so close, so often, would be one coveted prize to savour and ease the pain of four defeats in finals in the last five years.
