Jonah Lomu, out of rugby for much of the year because of a kidney ailment, is back in the All Black squad for their tour of Britain and Ireland next month. Lomu who has been suffering from nephrotic syndrome, which causes chronic kidney damage, is included in the 36-man All Black party to play two Tests against England and one each against Ireland and Wales.

Throughout the year he was treated with a range of drugs, and was initially given only a 50-50 chance of making a full recovery.

But when he turned out for his provincial counties first division team on Sunday, he scored two tries and demonstrated he was back to his crushing best.

Lomu (21), said he was so excited by his return to international football that he he could not sleep. Tana Umaga, another All Black winger, was undergoing a cat-scan and Hart said any player not fit to play by the time the side left on November 2nd would not go. Waikato flanker Aaron Hopa is the surprise selection in the squad which contains six new caps - Hopa, Todd Miller, Gordon Slater, Mark Robinson, Steve Surridge and Jeremy Stanley.

All Blacks Squad: C Cullen, T Miller, J Wilson, T Umaga, G Osborne, J Lomu, J Stanley, F Bunce, A Ieremia, S McLeod, W Little, C Spencer, A Mehrtens, M Robinson, J Preston, J Marshall, Z Brooke, S Surridge, T Randell, A Hopa, T Blackadder, J Kronfeld, M Carter, A Blowers, R Brooke, I Jones, M Cooksley, C Riechelmann, C Dowd, M Allen, O Brown, C Barrell, G Slater, S Fitzpatrick (capt), N Hewitt, A Oliver.