All Blacks captain Sam Cane insists there are no long-term injury issues to worry about, after sitting out last week's victory over Australia.
Cane, 31, played no part in the All Blacks' victory over the Wallabies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, after suffering a neck injury in last month's 35-20 win against the Springboks at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart.
That injury came as a result of a neckroll tackle from South African opposite Eben Etzebeth.
Ardie Savea assumed the captaincy in Cane's absence, as New Zealand retained both the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup.
With the extra week of rest under his belt, Cane will lead the All Blacks on Saturday, as the Wallabies return to New Zealand for the final home test of 2023 at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium.
A neck injury to any player is worrying, but even more so for Cane, who suffered a broken neck while playing the Springbocks in 2018.
While there was no long term damage from that injury, any further blows to Cane's neck will undoubtedly raise concern.
Speaking for the first time since the injury, he detailed his week off came down to precaution, rather than any concerns.
"It's good," assured Cane. "It's something I'd been playing with for a wee while, since the semi-final of Super Rugby.
"It's nothing serious, but the extra week means it's three weeks since it took a bang.
"It's feeling good. All going well, we'll get through tomorrow well and get another couple of weeks.
"[It was] the way my neck got twisted stirred it up. I carried on playing, but it would be good to get it right.
"Hopefully that's the end of it."
Cane says the injury against the Springboks - and subsequent week off - had nothing to do with his broken neck, which forced him undergo additional strengthening to prevent a recurrence.
"It's fine, to be honest," he continued. "Structurally, my neck's probably stronger than most.
"It has two vertebrae fused together and all the extra strength work I do.
"It's completely unrelated, which is nice to know. A lot of rugby players have dealt with it at some point in their careers, so know how to manage it."
