Beldisloe Cup
Coles out of Bledisloe Cup running
August 14, 2013
Hurricanes hooker Dane Coles looks for support, Hurricanes v Melbourne Rebels, Super Rugby, Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand, May 26, 2012
Hooker Dane Coles has been overlooked for the first Test of the Rugby Championship © PA Photos
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Hooker Dane Coles, lock Jeremy Thrush and scrum-half TJ Perenara have been ruled out of the All Blacks Test against Australia on Saturday after being named to play for their Wellington provincial side this week.

The trio have been released to play against Counties Manukau in the opening match of the NPC domestic competition at Pukekohe on Thursday night.

While Thrush and Perenara were considered unlikely to feature in the Bledisloe Cup Test at Sydney on Saturday, the omission of Coles is a surprise.

Coles appeared to have usurped veterans Keven Mealamu and Andrew Hore in the pecking order after being named to start the first two Tests against France in June. His absence means 34-year-olds Mealamu and Hore, who share 181 Tests between them, will be the two hookers who fly to Sydney after the team is named on Thursday morning.

© AAP

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