Rieko Ioane has completed a remarkable return to fitness after initially being ruled out of the Wales test.

His All Blacks team-mates have dubbed him Lazarus, and Rieko Ioane has certainly given a pretty fair impression this week of a rugby player coming back from the dead.

On Sunday in Edinburgh, just before the All Blacks decamped to Cardiff for the final week of their season, coach Steve Hansen declared the star wing, a finalist for two World Rugby awards in Monte Carlo, an almost certain non-starter against the Welsh.

"He's done a rotator cuff, it's quite weak, so he's probably not going to be available," the coach told us.

ONE NEWS Sops (right) has Beaudy in stitches with his "Old Lazarus" banter over All Blacks team-mate Rieko Ioane.

When Ioane was reduced to spectator status at Tuesday's training, alongside Luke Romano and Kieran Read, there was nothing to suggest Hansen's words would soon come back to haunt him.

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DIANNE MANSON/ GETTY IMAGES All Blacks wing Rieko 'Old Lazarus' Ioane is a hard man to keep down.

But by Thursday, the magic healing dust had clearly been sprinkled, for there was the in-form 20-year-old, out there, taking a full part, and soon named to start his 11th test of this breakthrough season.

"Old Lazarus," snorted Lima Sopoaga, "back from the dead that fella. He reckons he's got a broken shoulder and is out for six months, the next thing you know he's starting a test match. It must be something in his water. Unbelievable."

Back-three mate Damian McKenzie was a little more empathetic: "He's been positive about everything, like he always is. He started working hard last Saturday after the game to try get himself right, and he's managed to do that.

"What is it? Six months to five days. That's a bit of a drop. He's got a great attitude, and just wants to be out there playing rugby. He's played some great footy all year and I'm sure he's going to do the same on Saturday."

Hansen was clearly confounded, but in the end had no hesitation restoring arguably his most consistent performer of 2017 to the starting lineup.

"I don't know what Doc's done, but he's fixed him and he's available. He had a scan on his shoulder early in the week, and there was no damage there. And through the week it's just got better and better."

With so many frontliners out for this year-ending test (Kieran Read and Luke Romano the latest casualties), the All Blacks coach clearly wasn't keen to have another new face on the left wing.

It has certainly been a remarkable tour for Ioane. He caught a dose of the mumps early on and spent much of the first week in London confined to bed before storming back to win his place back for the test against the French in Paris.

Meanwhile, there appears to have been a thawing in the relationship between coaching rivals Hansen and Warren Gatland with the two having a "chat" at Wednesday night's Alun Wyn Jones testimonial dinner.

Gatland mentioned their catchup at his media briefing, and Hansen confirmed they'd shared a few words and a handshake.

"I wouldn't say it was a knees-up or anything, but we did say hello," Hansen said.

Asked by a Welsh reporter if they would be having a beer together after the test, or whether it depended on the result, Hansen replied:

"We drew the series in New Zealand and had a drink there. Win or lose we'll always have a drink. That's part of what rugby is about."

Hansen also shared the latest of his witticisms which are becoming an essential part of touring life. This one was his response to the All Blacks' record of not having lost to Wales since 1953.

"History is a little bit like a drought. Every day you're one day closer to it raining. Every year they'll be one year closer to winning a game."