COLES RELEASED: The Wellington Lions have been bolstered by three All Blacks being released for their NPC opener.

Dane Coles has been left out of the All Blacks team to play the Wallabies in Sydney this Saturday.

Fitness is not an issue. The All Blacks hooker has been instead been named to start for Wellington, who take on Counties Manukau in Pukekohe in the NPC opener tomorrow night.

Keven Mealamu and Andrew Hore will now share the hooking duties for the All Blacks.

It signals a dramatic drop for Coles. The dynamic rake was thought to have made giant strides in June. Had he not been injured before the third test against France in New Plymouth he would have started all three matches. It seemed he had overtaken the veterans.

The 26-year-old Coles was seen as the future. Mealamu and Hore are both 34 and there are doubts about their ability to last through to the World Cup in 2015. The new scrum engagement laws may have counted against Coles.

Other features of the powerful Wellington team include halfback TJ Perenara, lock Jeremy Thrush and Victor Vito, who has been named at No.8.

That means the All Blacks, who announce their team for the opening Bledisloe Cup test tomorrow, will take halfbacks Aaron Smith and Tawera Kerr-Barlow to Sydney, while Brodie Retallick is likely to cover second-row from the bench.

Prop John Schwalger will make his first start for the Lions since returning to New Zealand and fellow front-rower Jeffery Toomaga-Allen has recovered from his knee injury suffered during the Super Rugby season to round out the front row with Coles.

Wellington team:

1. John Schwalger 2. Dane Coles 3. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen 4. Jeremy Thrush

5. Mark Reddish 6. Brad Shields 7. Adam Hill 8. Victor Vito 9. TJ Perenara 10. Lima Sopoaga 11. Sinoti Sinoti 12. Shaun Treeby 13. Tim Bateman 14. Joe Hill 15. Matt Proctor

RESERVES

16. Eugene Smith 17. Tolu Fahamokioa 18. Taniela Koroi 19. Kaipati Gaualofa 20. Faifili Levave 21. Frae Wilson 22. Afa Fa'atau