Dane Coles appears unlikely to feature for All Blacks during the British & Irish Lions tour, claims Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree.
The New Zealand hooker has been sidelined since March with concussion and a calf injury sustained playing Super Rugby and Plumtree suggested Coles’ chances of facing the Lions were slim after being ruled out of the all-New Zealand clash between the Hurricanes and the Chiefs on Friday.
“It’s bad news for the All Blacks and bad news for all of New Zealand really,” Plumtree said of Coles, who is expected to be replaced by Crusaders’ Codie Taylor.
“He hasn’t been able to train hard enough at this stage. It’s hard to say whether he’ll be available for any of the Tests or the first Test.”
Joining Coles as a concern for New Zealand coach Steve Hansen is lock Brodie Retallick, who has also suffered a concussion but is likely to recover in time for the first Test on 24 June.
