1
Coles gone for six months
By Online Editors
Hooker Dane Coles has suffered a serious knee injury in the All Blacks' 38-18 win over France, rupturing his ACL. This means that his already injury-disrupted season has ended, and will effect the start of 2018 with his Super Rugby team the Hurricanes.
Coles went down 24 minutes into the test match, after playing a starring role by scoring the first try. Early reports suggest he will require six months to recover from reconstructive surgery.
"He is going to require an operation," said All Black coach Hansen. "It will get sorted once he gets home."
It's a bitter way to end 2017 for Coles, who sat out most of Super Rugby and the entire British & Irish Lions series recovering from the effects of concussion. At one point he was contemplating retirement, however made his way back into the All Blacks for their undefeated Rugby Championship campaign.
Coles will head home after the team's midweek tour match against a French XV tomorrow, and will not be replaced. Hansen selected four hookers to tour with the squad, so can call on Codie Taylor, Nathan Harris or the exciting prospect Asafo Aumua.
The news will also mean that Aumua will now most definitely be a part of the Hurricanes' match-day 23 when Super Rugby rolls around, along with the impressive Ricky Riccitelli.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
'Chaos': Lawes sheds light on the social that ended 2 England careers
3
Ex-Ireland wing brands Six Nations champs 'not that good'
4
Hacjivah Dayimani exits SA following Springbok snub
5
Latest Comments
Not sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
Go to comments