Wellington hooker Dane Coles knows he has plenty of work to do if he wants to reclaim the All Blacks number two jersey off New Zealand's best player Codie Taylor.
Coles hasn't played for the All Blacks since November last year as he's battled numerous injuries over the last two seasons
The 30-year-old tore his ACL against France in Paris last year which ruled him out for six months.
The knee injury came after the Hurricanes skipper had already been dealing with concussion issues earlier that year, resulting in him missing the entire British and Irish Lions series.
To make matters worse, the Coles was then hit with a calf injury following surgery on his injured knee which saw any chances of a return for the Hurricanes this year ruled out.
Coles made his long-awaited return to rugby last week when he played 16 minutes off the bench as the Wellington Lions beat Taranaki 34-10 in New Plymouth, and has been named in the All Blacks 32-man squad for their northern tour.
While Coles has been out, Taylor has been wearing the hooker jersey, and the Crusaders forward has made the most of the opportunity.
"He's worked really hard on his game, and he's probably been the best player in the All Blacks this year, in my eyes," admitted Coles.
"It's competition so it is up for me and Nathan [Harris] to catch up. He's set the expectation for what the All Blacks hooker looks like so we have to work hard to catch him."
Coles will turn out again for Wellington in Saturday's Mitre 10 Cup semi-final against Auckland, before linking up with the All Blacks in Japan.
He's hopeful of proving to the All Blacks coaches that he's ready for international football with a strong performance at Eden Park.
"I'll be happy to go over there, and if I don’t play, I don't play. Least I'll be helping the team prepare.
"I'll work hard to put myself in contention to put the black jumper on, but I'm just happy to be back and being a rugby player. I really want to work hard and push for selection.
"I'm sure the All Blacks coaches have a plan of what they want me to do, so I'll leave that in their hands. I'll be doing everything possible to be ready for the tests."
Even if he doesn’t get a run, Coles is just happy to be back playing the sport he loves.
"I'm so happy to be back. It was touch and go, or much of the year so I'm just happy to be back in a rugby team and doing rugby things
"It beats being in the gym by yourself or running on a field. I have a new appreciation for rugby."
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