Dane Coles suffers mysterious concussion to deal New Zealand another injury blow ahead of Lions tour
The hooker has not played since 18 March and it is not known when he suffered the concussion as he was already sidelined with a knee injury
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.New Zealand hooker Dane Coles is the latest injury concern for head coach Steve Hansen after the Wellington Hurricanes captain was diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms, despite not suffering an obvious blow to the head because he is already sidelined with injury.
The 30-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best – if not the best – No 2 in world rugby, has not played since the Hurricanes’ 45-15 victory over the Otago Highlanders on 18 March. Coles suffered a knee injury during the New Zealand division Super Rugby match, but has since also suffered a calf strain that hampered his recovery.
More alarmingly though, the Wellington head coach, Chris Boyd, confirmed that Coles is now suffering from “headaches” that leaves him battling to be fit in time for the visit of the British and Irish Lions tour this summer.
"Colesy's situation is complicated by the fact that... subsequent to his knee injury, he not only developed a calf strain but also some headaches," Boyd said on Wednesday.
"He is now under a return to play protocol for concussion.
"We genuinely don't know where he got those symptoms from," he added.
"We've had a look at the Highlanders game, which was the last game he played. He had no symptoms post that, so I'm not sure. The source of that is completely unknown to us."
Coles is highly unlikely to return for this Friday’s Super Rugby clash with South African side the Stormers, and he first reported the head issues when he stepped up his recovery in training, despite not suffering a blow to his head as he had not yet returned to full contact work.
"At the end of the day, he has started to return to train and developed some headaches," Boyd said.
"It's not normal, but if you look at it in context, because of his knee injury, the first part of his rehab was no training at all so, if there were symptoms post the game that would come out under exercise, they were not apparent."
All Blacks coach Hansen will be concerned with Coles’ setback, given he has also seen both captain Kieran Read and flanker Jerome Kaino suffer injuries over the last fortnight, with full-back Ben Smith and wings Israel Dagg and Nehe Milner-Skudder also currently sidelined.
The Lions arrive in New Zealand at the end of the month before beginning their ten-match tour on 3 June, though the All Blacks do have the added benefit that they do not play their first Test against the Lions until 24 June, giving Hansen’s injured players more time to recover from their injuries.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments