SONNY BILL WILLIAMS will miss New Zealand’s Bledisloe Cup matches this month, while Dane Coles could return for the latter stages of the Rugby Championship after playing for Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup.
After missing the first two Tests against France in June, Williams damaged his shoulder during the final match of the series and the centre will not be considered to face Australia in Sydney on August 18 or at Eden Park a week later.
Coles, who has been plagued by knee and calf injuries, will not feature for the world champions until the end of next month at the earliest, but the hooker has been named in an All Blacks training squad.
“More than likely we will name him [Coles in the Rugby Championship squad] so we can have access to him as the season goes on.” said head coach Steve Hansen.
But he will come back through the Mitre 10, and play various amounts of minutes there. Once he’s had enough rugby, he’ll come to us.
“We just need to get him fit, he needs to get a bit more intensity into his training and that’s going to take a wee while. We’ve just got to get him running fit so we can get the old Colesy back.”
The All Blacks will this week meet for a two-day training camp in Christchurch without their Crusaders contingent ahead of the Super Rugby final.
All Blacks training squad
Props: Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Karl Tu’inukuafe and Ofa Tuungafasi.
Locks: Brodie Retallick and Patrick Tuipulotu.
Loose forwards: Sam Cane, Vaea Fifita, Shannon Frizell, Jackson Hemopo, Akira Ioane, Ardie Savea, Liam Squire and Luke Whitelock.
Backs
Halfbacks: TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith and Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi.
First five-eighths: Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie.
Midfielders: Ngani Laumape, Anton Lienert-Brown and Sonny Bill Williams.
Outside backs: Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo and Ben Smith.
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