For a brief moment, there were fears Sam Cane had reinjured his previously broken neck, during the Chiefs Super Rugby Aoteraoa loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday.
The new All Blacks skipper was knocked out after making heavy contact with Jordie Barrett's knee in the 26th minute at Sky Stadium.
Cane lay prone on the ground for several minutes, attended to by trainers, medics and initially Dane Coles and Barrett.
National coach Ian Foster could be seen showing visible concern from the grandstand, as fears grew the injury was severe.
But Cane regained consciousness and left the field unassisted, but did not return and will now face return-to-play measures.
"I've got a close relationship with Sammy and he didn't look too good," Hurricanes captain Coles said.
"I caught up with him after the game and he seems stable to be fair. "You've got to feel for the fella, it's a tough gig with a few of those. We wish him all the best with recovery and getting well."
Cane fractured his neck during an All Blacks test in Pretoria against South Africa in 2018.
But despite the initial concerns, Chiefs coach Warren Gatland cleared his captain of any major neck injury.
"He's had a knock, I don't think it was anything to do with his neck," Gatland said.
"He's lined Jordie up, and he's come down and hit him. It looks like it's a concussion that he'll go through.
"Talking to him in the changing rooms he seems okay. He can remember what happened, so it's not like he can't recall the incident, so he'll need to go through the return-to-play protocols."
With the Chiefs not in action next week, Cane's next opportunity for game time will come in the North v South match on August 29.
