Intelligent Senio rises to the occasion Justin time

Kevin Senio might have missed the All Blacks trial on Friday night but he played in an even bigger trial against the Lions last night.

Originally named as a reserve in the Possibles for Friday night's All Blacks trial, Senio is very much in the selectors' minds considering 77-test veteran Justin Marshall is soon to take up residence in Leeds.

With Marshall out of the equation, the 26-year-old Senio could battle it out with Piri Weepu and Steve Devine to be Byron Kelleher's backup for the Tri Nations, although his first assignment could be a Junior All Blacks jersey to take on Australia A and Queensland later this month.

Senio got a taste of what it takes to play international rugby when he came head-to-head with Dwayne Peel last night, Wales' No 1 halfback and most observers' pick to wear the jersey for the Lions in the first test after his stand-out performances for Wales in their Grand Slam success.

Although only 23, Peel is an experienced and intelligent campaigner who has already played 41 times for Wales. Last night he bossed the big Lions around the park, was speedy around the fringes and similarly quick when delivering to first five-eighths Ronan O'Gara.

Peel looked outstanding in the Lions' opening 12-minute onslaught

When theY raced out to a 17-0 lead. But he looked uncharacteristically shaky at times, much like the rest of the side, and he might look back on one kick in particular, when he sliced it badly into touch just moments before the Bay scored their second try.

Senio had promised a few tricks in the lead-up to the match but it was his trademark bullet-like passes that caught the eye - a trait selectors so obviously covet in a halfback.

Senio is also an intelligent player and generally took the right options as he came more and more to the fore as the game progressed.

Injuries have blighted Senio's career and he would more than likely have been on last year's tour to Italy, France and Wales had he not broken his ankle playing for Bay of Plenty against Taranaki in the NPC.

He could even have been lost to top-class rugby after he was put on the scrapheap by Auckland after an injury-plagued time there and was picked up by the Bay in 2003.

Although he looked a little rusty when he got an opportunity in the early rounds of the Super 12 this year, he displayed some of the form that caught the national selectors' eyes when he slotted in for Byron Kelleher towards the end of the Chiefs' campaign.

He had been a key man in helping the Bay claim the Ranfurly Shield off Auckland and defend it against Waikato, as well as helping his side to the NPC semifinals, before he broke his ankle.

Similar in stature to Kelleher, standing at 178cm and weighing 90kg, Senio is also a similar type of player to his Chiefs team-mate. He is nuggety around the rucks and probably has the best pass in the country.

It's something that All Black coach Graham Henry looks for in a halfback considering the recent debate about the quality of Kelleher's pass over Justin Marshall.

Henry was in the stands last night to watch the Lions but he said before the match that he was also going to take a keen interest in how Senio and Bernie Upton fared considering they would have played in the trial.

"We want to see how they (the Lions) are attacking the game," Henry said. "Quite frankly I don't think what they do in the provincial games will affect what they do in the test matches. Also we want to see some of the Bay of Plenty boys play - there would have been some of them out here last night - like Bernie Upton and Kevin Senio, so we have a selection role as well."

Senio is clear on what he wants to achieve when he said: "It is definitely an ambition of mine to pull on the black jersey."

On the evidence of last night, that remains a distinct possibility.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY