All Blacks captain Kieran Read has made a successful return to the rugby field this afternoon after lining up for Counties Manukau in a pre-season Mitre 10 Cup match against Tasman.
Read played the first 40 minutes of the exhibition match in Manurewa today having overcome a long-term back injury that required surgery and kept him sideline since November last year.
The 32-year-old played at No.8 in the match, getting involved in any way he could with tackles, runs and work at the breakdown.
The game wasn't just a return from injury for Read but also a return to his original province, having played for Counties Manukau in age-grade play before paving his professional path with a switch to Canterbury starting in 2006.
Despite not being named as a squad member for the recent French series due to his slow recovery, Read trained with the All Blacks as they prepared for games each week.
The last time Read pulled on the black jersey was in Cardiff last year when the All Blacks rounded off their successful Northern Tour with a 33-18 win over Wales.
Lock Sam Whitelock captained the side in the 3-0 sweep of France in this month's June Test series in Read's absence.
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