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He sustained a hairline fracture to his fibula on debut for New Zealand on July 17 against Argentina in the Rugby Championship.

Ever the pragmatist, Japan coach Eddie Jones put into perspective what this will mean in Japan, where soccer heroes such as Keisuke Honda and, before him, Hidetoshi Nakata, have got used to sharing the sporting headlines with baseball stars.

To make an emphatic statement in their Wembley match against an Argentina side powered by a bruising pack, the All Blacks will field a team with an average age of 28 and featuring 1,013 caps in the starting XV and a further 316 caps on the bench.