Injury-plagued hooker Dane Coles could be set for an All Blacks reintroduction in Japan later this year after coach Steve Hansen said he was about two weeks off finally returning to the rugby paddock.
Hansen told Stuff today Coles was around a fortnight out from returning to provincial rugby, with the gameplan currently being he would appear three times for Wellington starting mid-September before joining the All Blacks.
"He's worked really hard and I said to him the other day 'you're back son. You've got a twinkle in your eye, you're excited' and he's like a kid with a brand new toy, which is great.
"Mentally he's in the right place and now we've just go to get him physically finished and he's into it."
Coles last took the field last November against France in Paris but his game was cut short due to an ACL injury.
The knee injury came after the Hurricanes skipper had already been dealing with concussion issues earlier in the year, resulting in him missing the entire British and Irish Lions Tour series.
To make matters worse, the 31-year-old was then hit with a calf injury following surgery on his injured knee which saw any chances of a return for the Hurricanes this year ruled out.
But, should Coles' stint with Wellington go without any issues, he could be back in black for the third Bledisloe Test in Yokohoma on October 27 before heading to Europe for the All Blacks' end-of-year tour.
Should Coles' fitness match Hansen's projection, his first game would be against Counties Manukau in Pukekohe on September 15 during round five of the Mitre 10 Cup.
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