Dane Coles set to make comeback from injury

New Zealand hooker Dane Coles is set to return to action after spending close to a year on the sidelines as he was named on the bench for Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup encounter against Taranaki on Friday.

The 31-year-old suffered a knee injury during All Blacks' November Test series last year with his last appearance coming against France on the 11th of the that month.

Prior to the knee injury, Coles also suffered a concussion which kept him out of the All Blacks' series against British and Irish Lions and as a result he was ruled out for the entire 2018 Super Rugby season for his club Hurricanes.

Earlier, Coles said it was the love for the game that kept him motivated amid tough times with injuries.

"I've had a pretty frustrating couple of years," he told in August.

"You have times where you're like, 'Is this really worth it?' or 'Is this going to come right?'

"I think the drive, especially for me of getting back out there playing for the All Blacks or playing for the Hurricanes, has been a massive motivation.

"Just playing rugby again. I love the game. I didn't want the injury to determine my outcome I wanted, leaving on my own terms I suppose."

Coles has played 56 Tests for the All Blacks since his debut in 2012.