Dane Coles a major doubt for Lions tour opener

The odds of Dane Coles being fit to feature in the British and Irish Lions rugby series have plummeted. The Hurricanes staff had targeted next Friday's clash with the Chiefs in Wellington to welcome their captain back to the fold.

But the hooker hasn't recovered from his concussion symptoms at the rate everyone hoped and he's been described as "a doubtful starter" for the Hurricanes' 23 to play the Chiefs.

That would make him very hard to select in All Blacks teams to meet Samoa in a one-off test on June 16 or the first Test against the Lions on June 24.

I think it would be unlikely he's going to get through enough [work] before next week for him to come into contention for selection," Boyd said 

"I might be surprised when I get home, but the indications are at this stage that probably not."

Coles was initially diagnosed with a knee injury, following the team's win over the Highlanders at Westpac Stadium on March 18.

Media were then told the hooker had tweaked a calf muscle - which he has a history of doing - during his return-to-play protocols. The Hurricanes later revealed that a move towards higher-intensity training had revealed headaches too and that's been the main issue since.