All Blacks Back for Bunnings NPC Round One | Injury Update & Player Returns

· Lynn McConnell · action press
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Eight players from the All Blacks Lipovitan-D French series squad will be available to play in the opening round of the Bunnings Warehouse NPC starting on Thursday.

The new season of the NPC starts in Auckland on Thursday, when Auckland hosts Waikato, where centre Anton Lienert-Brown will be available for Waikato.

In Wellington on Saturday, at Porirua Park, five-eighths/fullback Ruben Love will be available for Wellington, while hooker Brodie McAlister will be available for Canterbury.

Otago will have the services of No8 Christian Lio-Willie in Invercargill for the game with Southland.

Bay of Plenty will have the services of wing Emoni Narawa and prop Pasilio Tosi when hosting Tasman at Tauranga Domain on Sunday. Utility back Timoci Tavatavanawai will be available for Tasman.

And flanker Dalton Papali'i will be available for Counties Manukau for its game with Hawke's Bay at McLean Park, Napier, on Sunday.

An update on injured players from the All Blacks squad has been released.

Halfback Noah Hotham requires surgery on a high ankle sprain and is expected to be out of action for eight weeks.

Prop Tyrel Lomax has had surgery for a hand fracture and is out for up to six weeks, a similar period for wing Caleb Clarke, who has a high ankle injury that doesn't require surgery.

Loose forward Luke Jacobson's thigh injury is expected to see him return in five weeks, while lock and captain Scott Barrett's calf muscle tear is healing, and he is expected to be back in three weeks.

Loose forward Wallace Sititi is also expected to be back in three weeks after high ankle surgery.

Prop Tamaiti Williams is recovering from surgery for a torn meniscus, and he is also on a three-week return.

The hand re-fracture suffered by first five-eighths Beauden Barrett is healing well, and he should be back in two weeks.

Lock/loose forward Tupou Vaa'i's concussion protocols should also see him back in two weeks.

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