Jonah Lomu, whose career has been blighted by illness and more recently lack of form, is doubtful for this autumn's All Blacks tour to Britain. The world's best known player has a knee injury which has divided medical experts and he has pulled out of Wellington's National Provincial Championship match against Otago in Dunedin tomorrow.

Wellington's team management said the problem was a ligament tear but the All Black doctor John Mayhew claims Lomu has torn the quadricep muscle where it joins his kneecap. The giant wing has not played since September 7.

His absence will be a blow for the marketing men as New Zealand prepare for Tests against England on November 9 and Wales a fortnight later. In Wales posters featuring Lomu had already been printed. But Clive Woodward's team may less peeved to see the back of the man who has scuppered their chances in the past two World Cups.

Australia, meanwhile, have included the controversial wing Ben Tune in their 27-man squad for the four-Test tour of Argentina, Ireland, England and Italy. The 25-year-old escaped suspension in August after admitting using a banned drug to treat a knee injury. He was cleared to play by an Australian Rugby Union tribunal but the sport's ruling body the International Rugby Board still has the option of banning him for two years.

The Wallaby squad, captained by the scrum-half George Gregan, includes the uncapped 19-year-old Matt Giteau, who has been named as a third scrum-half to cover for Gregan, who will leave the tour to attend the birth of his second child.