The European tour of Southland's Kade Poki with the New Zealand Maori rugby team has been cut short.

The Stags and Highlanders winger has returned home to New Zealand because of a severely bruised back.

Poki's season has been marred by injury which included missing a good chunk of the Stags season because of hamstring problems.

He joins to other New Zealand Maori players on the injured list, lock Ross Filipo, who suffered a calf strain, and loose forward Karl Lowe who has a hamstring strain.

Team doctor Stephen Kara said their injuries would take between two and three weeks to heal making them unavailable for selection for the final match against Canada at the Oxford University.

Head Coach Jamie Joseph has opted to not call for a replacement player from New Zealand, believing they have enough cover within the remaining 23 players - all of whom are now expected to be named in the starting line-up and bench for the Canada match.

The Maori All Blacks v Canada match will be broadcast live on SKY Sport 1 from 8.20am (NZT) on Saturday and will be replayed later that day on Maori TV at 6pm.

Maori All Blacks Schedule:
13 November: Maori All Blacks 24 v Leicester Tigers 32, at Welford Road Stadium
17 November: Maori All Blacks 52 v Championship 21 Select XV, at Castle Park
24 November: Maori All Blacks v Canada, at Oxford University.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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