Dive puts gifted wing's playing future on hold

Rudi Wulf

Promising wing Rudi Wulf will not play for North Harbour this season and there are doubts about his rugby future.

The 21-year-old suffered a compression fracture in his neck when he dived into the shallow end of a hotel swimming pool.

He was due to leave for Argentina with the NZ Colts at the weekend, but had surgery instead.

"Our advice is there will be no rugby for Rudi this year, but he is young enough and we are reasonably optimistic he will still have a future in the game," North Harbour chief executive Noel Coom said.

"He is wearing a neck halo device and will take time to heal."

Wulf has played for NZ sevens and colts, and made his Super 12 debut this year for the Blues.

Harbour coach Allan Pollock was left pondering wing stocks after his new signing Jonah Lomu damaged a shoulder in his weekend comeback.