All Blacks veteran Sam Whitelock has emerged as a fresh injury concern for the second Bledisloe Cup test against Australian on Sunday.
The 117-test lock was held out of training on Wednesday, as NZ forwards coach John Plumtree warned of 'headaches' that suggest he may be suffering from delayed concussion symptoms from the drawn series opener in Wellington.
"Hopefully. he'll be right for the weekend."
Quizzed on players unavailable for selection, Plumtree elaborated on the condition of his team's most experienced player.
"He had some headaches after the game, so he'll go through concussion protocol and we'll see how he gets on during the week."
Whitelock, 32, played the full 89 minutes last weekend, but if he scratches from the rematch, Crusaders skipper Scott Barrett may earn an early recall to the national side, after a four-month absence with a foot injury.
"He's followed his rehab programme perfectly and this was potentially his return-to-play date," says Plumtree. "It's a little while since he played... but Scottie's a pretty honest boy, he knows where he's at."
Beauden Barrett has played a "small part" in training, after withdrawing from the first test with a niggly Achilles tendon injury.
"He looked like he was running pretty well," says Plumtree. "He's looking likely, absolutely, but he was looking likely this time last week as well.
"We've got a day off tomorrow, big day Friday, so we'll see how he gets on."
Barrett's Achilles issue was managed through the Blues' Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign and Plumtree admits he may need time away from the game to recover.
Join us at 4pm Sunday for live updates of the second All Blacks v Wallabies Bledisloe Cup test
