Concussion continues to bedevil the Hurricanes' season.
We all know about Dane Coles' travails - and he remains in a frustrating holding pattern, unable to train at a high enough intensity to be in the clear - but assistant coach John Plumtree has revealed that lock Mark Abbott was alate scratching from the bench for the Force game due to concussion symptoms suffered after the Bulls game on May 28.
Hooker Ricky Riccitelli took a head knock in the 34-12 win in Perth, but has since had no symptoms, so should be available to face the Chiefs in the capital this Friday. Leni Apisai, fresh from a try and 30 effective minutes, will be ready to slot into the No 2 jersey if necessary.
Happily, centre Matt Proctor, who was in sharp form early in the season until he too succumbed to concussion issues, came through 20 minutes unscathed yesterday for the Hurricanes Development side in their 52-17 win over Wanganui at Cooks Gardens, so will be available to make his return. His major hurdle now appears to be the incumbent midfield pairing of Ngani Laumape and Vince Aso, who have chalked up an astonishing 28 tries between them.
Plumtree feels for Coles, who may yet be named in Thursday's All Blacks squad, despite no rugby since March 18.
"No change with Colesy. It's still just week to week, so we won't be seeing him this weekend... he can't do much about it," Plumtree says.
"I can imagine he's not in a great place mentally at the moment. He wants to be involved, getting out there and helping us out. He'll play again. It's just a case of when."
The Hurricanes hold second spot in the New Zealand conference, four points clear of the Chiefs. A victory would not only retain their unbeaten home record, but just about seal fifth place and a more welcome quarter-final in Australia. Only after that will they allow themselves to think about their June 27 clash with the Lions.
Plumtree and head coach Chris Boyd, who have their 50th game together as a Hurricanes coaching combination (for an imposing record of 40-9), will be wanting their charges to match the staunch defensive effort in Perth which has them, by two miserly points, as the most parsimonious defence in the league.
The Force clash was often fractious and one should not expect anything different against the Chiefs, who will not back down from any aggressive approach. The Hurricanes will need little reminder of the 26-18 reverse in Hamilton March 10.
