Rugby: Concussion blows mar Hurricanes win

Hurricanes star Beauden Barrett missed Saturday's as a precaution. Photo / Photosport

Beauden Barrett and Ardie Savea are the latest concussion concerns for the All Blacks, a mounting list which already includes their Hurricanes teammate Dane Coles.

Barrett, looming as a key player for the national team against the Lions, was a late withdrawal from the No10 jersey before the Hurricanes' 34-20 victory over the Bulls in Pretoria after complaining of a headache.

It was a precautionary move, said coach Chris Boyd, after Barrett received a head knock in the first half of his team's win over the Cheetahs in Wellington, last weekend. The 26-year-old passed a test at halftime at the Cake Tin but left the field 10 minutes into the second half.

The Savea incident at Loftus Versfeld was far more clear-cut, the loose forward, sensational for the All Blacks off the reserves bench last year, leaving the field after a head clash with teammate Wes Goosen.

Hurricanes lock Mark Abbott also left the field with concussion and the pair could be in doubt to play the Force in Perth next Saturday.

Coles, still suffering symptoms from an apparently innocuous incident against the Highlanders in the middle of March, continues his recovery, the toughest part of which probably is the fact that neither he nor anyone else will know when he will available to play again.

It is difficult to know whether concussion is becoming more prevalent this season or if players and medical staff and taking a more cautious approach to symptoms.

There have been a spate of players affected. Crusaders Ryan Crotty and Matt Todd, Chiefs Stephen Donald and Sam McNicol and Blues player Sonny Bill Williams have been recent casualties, with Chiefs midfielder Charlie Ngatai again having symptoms just one match after his year-long absence with the problem.

Hurricanes coach Boyd said after his team's win over the Bulls that Barrett woke with a headache and the decision to withdraw him was made despite him passing all tests.

"Every time he exercised, every time he trained, he got absolutely no symptoms at all," Boyd said.

"But the next morning he woke up with a headache, which probably 80 per cent of the squad did because we're trying to get used to the altitude and trying to get used to the temperature and trying to get used to all sorts of things.

"But when you speak to the medical team, it's like 'what is inducing that?

"Is it a continuation of some head-knock symptoms or what's going on?'

"So we weren't able to differentiate from that and we pulled him out at captain's run."

If wing Nehe Milner-Skudder passes a fitness test on his injured foot today, he will be available to play the Force in Perth.