All Blacks call up three players to cover injury

Locks Luke Romano and Tom Franklin and loose forward Matt Todd are set to join the All Blacks camp in Auckland this week as injury cover.

The Crusaders pair of Romano and Todd have previously represented the All Blacks 10 and 13 times respectively, while 27-year-old Highlander Franklin is part of the squad for the first time.

Franklin has previously represented New Zealand at the U20 level and has played for the Maori All Blacks.

The replacements were called in after Chiefs lock and All Blacks regular Brodie Retallick suffered a pectoral injury during his side's loss to the Crusaders on Saturday night. He has since been ruled out of the first test on June 9 at Eden Park. Chiefs co-captain and flanker Sam Cane (abdominal strain) was a late scratch on Saturday after he was set to make his Super Rugby return following a five-week sideline spell, hence the call-up of Todd.

Romano and Todd's Crusaders teammate, Sam Whitelock, is also in doubt after being sidelined for the last three weeks with concussion symptoms.

Whitelock is joined under an injury cloud by the uncapped pair of Jack Goodhue (hamstring) and Jordan Taufua (calf), who were both expected to be fit for the first test.

It is yet to be announced whether the All Blacks will call in an extra midfielder after Sonny Bill Williams was ruled out of the series with a knee injury.

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