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Dane Coles is over the niggly calf issue that kept him out of the North-South match and preparing to confront a Wallabies side with the same fight they brought to their upset victory in Perth last year.
Coles last played for the Hurricanes against the Highlanders in the final SuperRugby Aotearoa match in Dunedin on August 15 - the first game staged without spectators in New Zealand - when he suffered the latest in a catalogue of calf complaints not uncommon to All Blacks hookers.
After six weeks on the sideline, the 69-test veteran could make a comeback appearance for Wellington against Canterbury in Christchurch on Saturday, though All Blacks coach Ian Foster indicated rookie lock Quinten Strange would be the only squad member released to play Mitre 10 Cup, one week out from the opening Bledisloe test.
"That might be the plan still," Coles said of playing for Wellington this weekend on day two of the All Blacks' three-day camp in Hamilton. "I'm fully training now and ready to go. It will be a big week this week, I'll get to Friday and make that decision. I've been here before so I know what it takes. I'm feeling good."
While he didn't make it on to the park, Coles relished reconnecting with his province as the All Blacks featured in the first two rounds of the competition.
All Blacks hooker Dane Coles during his press conference at the team's hotel in Tokyo last year. Photo / Mark Mitchell.
"I spent two weeks with them. It was cool to go back to semi grassroots with a lot of guys coming from clubs who are starting their professional careers so a bit more coaching than usual but it was awesome. Leo Crowley, Tamati Ellison, Dion Waller they're good men and two of them played for Wellington so it was good to be back."
The All Blacks squared last year's Bledisloe series, suffering the shock 47-26 defeat in Perth after Scott Barrett's first-half red card before exacting revenge in the 36-0 shutout at Eden Park the following week to retain the coveted Cup.
With Dave Rennie succeeding Michael Cheika at the helm, Coles expects the Wallabies to seriously test the All Blacks in Wellington next week.
"Rennie is a great coach. Every team he has touched has been successful. I can imagine them being in quarantine for two weeks he will have them raring to go. They'll be fizzed up. We've got to meet that challenge. We're really looking forward to playing at home."
Gauging the Wallabies may be more challenging this year, with the five New Zealand franchises not facing their Australian counterparts.
All Blacks hooker Dane Coles attempting to out-run Springboks captain Duane Vermeulen during their Rugby Championship test against South Africa last year. Photo / Mark Mitchell
"The boys watched a bit of Super Rugby. Any team that's putting on that gold jersey they'll come out hissing – you saw that last year in the Perth game what they are capable of. They'll give it everything they've got so we've got to make sure we prepare well and get ready for a brutal test match in Wellington."
Foster is giving little away but training this week will target shifts in attack, defence and a strong set-piece focus as he attempts to stamp his mark on a new era following last year's World Cup semifinal defeat to England in Japan.
"There will definitely be changes we've got different people in this group, different setup," Foster said. "There's stuff we know works, and there's stuff we know we've got to keep growing. It certainly feels different.
"We've got a limited time period but we've got enough. This week and next week are about getting ourselves in the right state for what's going to be a pretty intense two-match series in New Zealand."
