Kieran Read has been ruled out of the Crusaders' match against the Reds in Brisbane on Sunday with concussion.
The All Blacks No8 missed last weekend's victory over the Brumbies. Coach Todd Blackadder said while Read's concussion was relatively mild, the symptoms had not cleared. It is Read's second concussion of the season.
"We always knew that Kieran was a 50-50 call for this week and although he's making good progress, we would rather not leave it to later in the week to make a decision,'' Blackadder said. ``This takes the pressure off Kieran to play, and it removes a question mark for the rest of the team so that we can get on with preparing for this Reds match.
"This is by no means an indication that Kieran is not recovering as well as we'd expect, in fact he is progressing well. But he has received two knocks in the past month and we are taking no risks. The Super Rugby season is a long one so there will be plenty of time yet for Kieran to make the significant contribution he always does on the field.''
The Crusaders team to play the Reds will be named on Thursday.
