Wednesday 1 August 2018 10:57, UK
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is confident hooker Dane Coles and inside centre Sonny Bill Williams will recover from injury in time to feature in this season’s Rugby Championship.
Coles has not played at all this year since rupturing knee ligaments in a Test match against France last November. He needed two operations to repair the injury.
The 31-year-old has been blighted by injury over the last two seasons, missing much of 2017 due to lingering concussion symptoms.
He will have to prove his fitness with his province Wellington before being recalled by New Zealand by Hansen plans to name him in his squad for the tournament so he can call on him for the later games.
"More than likely we will name him (Coles) so we can have access to him as the season goes on," Hansen told reporters in Christchurch.
"But he will come back through the (provincial championship) and play various amounts of minutes there."
Williams, who joined Coles in the All Blacks training camp in Christchurch this week, is also still on the comeback trail after a shoulder injury and likely to miss the first two tests against Australia.
Williams suffered the shoulder injury during the third Test against France in June after he missed the first two matches following knee surgery.
"He (Williams) looks fit, he trained well this morning without doing any of the contact stuff," Hansen said. "The injury he's got inhibits him from doing physical stuff."
Lock Jackson Hemopo and prop Karl Tu'inukuafe, who were late injury replacements for the test series against France in June, were included in the squad but Waikato Chiefs prop Nepo Laulala missed out.
Laulala had established himself in the All Blacks set-up last year after Charlie Faumuina moved to France, and while the 27-year-old broke his arm in March he had been expected to be out for only three months.
"Unfortunately, Neps has just had a re-operation on his arm," Hansen said.
"It didn't heal properly so he's had to get a bone graft on that and he won't be available now, possibly, everything going well, until the end-of-year tour."
None of the players in the Canterbury Crusaders, who are preparing for the Super Rugby final against South Africa's Lions on August 4, were included for the camp.
The Rugby Championship squad will be named next Monday before they assemble on August 9 in Christchurch to prepare for their opening clash against the Wallabies in Sydney on August 18, live on Sky Sports.
Forwards: Dane Coles, Liam Coltman, Nathan Harris, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Karl Tu'inukuafe, Ofa Tuungafasi, Brodie Retallick, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Cane, Vaea Fifita, Shannon Frizell, Jackson Hemopo, Akira Ioane, Ardie Savea, Liam Squire, Luke Whitelock.
Backs: TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Ngani Laumape, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sonny Bill Williams, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo, Ben Smith
