Howlett will be out for month
Wednesday, 16 June 2004 09:49New Zealand winger Doug Howlett will be out of action for at least a month after injuring his left shoulder in last Saturday's win over world champions England. Howlett, who scored a try in the 36-3 victory, fell heavily on his shoulder during the first half of the game and suffered muscle and ligament damage.
All Black doctor Graham Paterson said: "If you can imagine it's a ball and socket thing. The ball came out and then we slotted back into its spot. It was painful, but the adrenaline kept Doug going and it wasn't until later that the pain came."
Howlett is not expected to return until next month's Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup match against Australia at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Flanker Richie McCaw is struggling to get over a mild concussion in time for Saturday's second test against England in Auckland. McCaw has sat out training this week because of headaches, but passed all relevant neurological tests yesterday.
Filed by Mark O'Neill-Cummins
