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All Black Coles closing in on Hurricanes return
By Peter Thompson
Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd would be "pretty surprised" if captain Dane Coles does not make his comeback against Stormers on May 5 and also hopes Nehe Milner-Skudder will return next month.
Coles has not played for a month due to knee and calf injuries, but the inspirational New Zealand hooker is on the mend.
Boyd is taking no chances with his skipper, but thinks he should be back in Super Rugby action in a fortnight, with the British and Irish Lions tour on the horizon.
"Those calves for him are niggly, they have been over a number of years," Boyd told Stuff.
"If we didn't have a bye, he'd probably be okay to play next week. So the bye's come at a nice time for him. I'd be pretty surprised if he's not ready for selection against the Stormers [on May 5]."
Milner-Skudder fractured his foot against Chiefs last month and Boyd sees the fixture against Cheetahs on May 20 as a realistic target for the All Blacks full-back.
"If we're really lucky, the week before against the Crusaders [Milner-Skudder could return]," said Boyd.
The Hurricanes boss revealed that lock Michael Fatialofa may have sustained a dislocated knee as he awaits scan results.
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Latest Comments
The New Zealand performance in the return fixture in 2016 was filthy. A lot of Irish supporters were pretty shocked by it, viewed it as de facto cheating just to avoid another defeat.
Also shocked by the abuse to Ireland, captain, vice-captain and spectators after the full time whistle in Paris defeat, last match.
Sledging is sledging, but that happens during the game and targetting spectators should be completely out of bounds.
The Irish public used to enjoy these matches, even in defeat. Now they are necessary but unpleasant, because NZ apparently cannot accept or respect successful challengers.
Go to commentsThanks for the analysis Nick, thought provoking as usual. Couple of queries though, in the pic where you've circled Williams bind , I'm pretty sure it shows Stuart's knee on the ground, surely that's a NZ penalty? Also having had the chance to watch it again the All Black scrum seeems to improve after halftime, but before either England or the All Blacks replace their props. Not sure if that was the result of Tuipolutu coming on or some halftime tips. Either way this is only Williams second international season, so he'll be better for the experience.
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