"He'll do what's best for the team; that's the mark of the man. He'd love to be able to carry on and play the rest of the season but, if he's not right, he'll have to pull out and we'll go with the others," Plumtree said of loose forward Shields on Monday.
"Reed [Prinsep] has been going great and we've got Gareth as well, so we've got some good players in that position and Brad knows that."
And then there's Goosen, whose participation at centre would allow the Hurricanes to leave Jordie Barrett at fullback. If he's unable to pass his return to play protocols, then it's likely Barrett will go to 13, with Nehe Milner-Skudder at fullback, Julian Savea and Ben Lam on the wings and someone drafted onto the subs' bench.
"Wes is trucking along pretty and we're hoping by Thursday-Friday he will have gone through the protocols and be able to take a place in the starting 23," said Plumtree.
Which is slightly at odds with the preferred method of not investing in guys who might not to be right by the weekend.
"With Brad there's an exception because of the fact he's the captain and we will give Brad time," Plumtree said.
"Not sure what's going to happen with Wes. Obviously with a head injury it's slightly different, so what part Wes plays in training this week we'll have to wait and see."
