Blues and All Blacks prop Tony Woodcock has been ruled out of Saturday's match against the Chiefs with concussion.
Woodcock left the field during the 23-11 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney after a head knock, the latest of several suffered by Blues' players recently. Jerome Kaino, Josh Bekhuis and Luke Braid have also been affected by concussion injuries as their season goes from bad to worse with each passing week.
Woodcock's presence was imperative for the Blues against a Waratahs team which put immense pressure on the visiting scrum last weekend. John Kirwan's men were stuck on their line for scrum after scrum just before halftime at Allianz Stadium, but just held on; the performance of the Waratahs pack a boost for a Wallabies team traditionally poor at the set piece.
The Chiefs are likely to select strong scrummagers Ben Tameifuna and Pauliasi Manu for the match at Waikato Stadium.
Manawatu halfback Jamie Booth is an addition to the Blues squad after Bryn Hall was ruled out for two months with a broken foot.
