All Blacks: Mealamu steps in for test series

All Black hooker Andrew Hore dislocated his shoulder during the Hurricanes' loss to the Waratahs. Photo / Getty Images

Blues captain Keven Mealamu has leapfrogged fallen test comrade Andrew Hore for the June test series and perhaps beyond, with growing curiosity about the identity of the backup All Black hooker.

Hore dislocated his left shoulder early in the Hurricanes' loss to the Waratahs on Friday.

When Mealamu damaged a chest muscle late last year and missed the All Blacks trip to Hong Kong and Europe, the national selectors took Hore, Corey Flynn and Aled de Malmanche as temporary replacements.

Flynn missed his scheduled return for his Sydenham club at the weekend because his sprained ankle has not healed. De Malmanche broke his thumb midway through the Super 14 and only returned to action against the Blues at the weekend.

There are a number of other candidates for the All Black selectors to consider. Highlanders hooker Jason Rutledge is a bustling performer who is also reliable in his core work at scrum and lineout while Dane Coles is very mobile but lacks setpiece accuracy.

The Blues have used versatile prop John Afoa as a temporary hooker and he appears to be comfortable with his lineout delivery and scrummaging. Afoa may discover, at test level, he is more suited to duties in the middle of the front row.