All Black hooker Dane Coles could be facing up to six months on the sideline, after injuring his knee in his side's victory over France this weekend.
Coles scored the first of five tries in that 38-18 autumn series win after just nine minutes, but was taken off shortly after when he sustained the injury.
A statement on the official All Blacks Twitter page reports that Coles ruptured his ACL, an injury that carries a recovery time of between four and six months.
He is due to return home to New Zealand for surgery.
UPDATE: Dane Coles is to return home after rupturing his ACL in last night’s Test win over France. All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen says he will require an operation with likely 4-6 month recovery.
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) November 12, 2017
The Hurricanes captain has struggled with injuries this year and was forced to miss out on the Lions series during the summer.
He had been struggling to recover from concussion problems and despite being cleared of the symptoms ahead of the opening Test, his club decided not to release him as he was unfit.
He was subsequently ruled out of the All Blacks' Rugby Championship opener against Australia after suffering a head knock in a warm-up match.
