NEW ZEALAND winger Rieko Ioane has been put in quarantine after catching the mumps.
The All Blacks jetted into Paris on Monday ahead of their weekend test against France.
But their preparations have already been disrupted with Ioane’s absence, which comes soon after team-mate Jack Goodhue was also struck down with the virus.
And with growing concerns that the outbreak could spread amongst the side, coach Steve Hansen has played down any fears that the two cases are related.
He said: “The doc has done a great job, and we’ve isolated him (Ioane), so we’re not worried about it spreading.
“It’s unrelated to Jack Goodhue’s because they haven’t been in contact, but it has obviously come out of Auckland somewhere.”
The 20-year-old Ioane has scored eight tries in eight tests this year and become one of the world champions major attacking weapons.
Hansen added: “It’ll be touch and go though if is available (on Saturday). We’ll just have to see how well he comes through the week.”
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The world champions meet the French at the Stade de France on Saturday, then play a French XV in Lyon on Nov. 14 before concluding their tour with tests in Scotland and Wales.
New Zealand got their European tour off to a winning start when a second-string side beat the Barbarians 31-22 at Twickenham on Saturday.
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