Kaino to play in tsunami match

Auckland loose forward Jerome Kaino is the latest New Zealand rugby player to join the southern hemisphere team for next month's tsunami fundraising match.

Blues coach Peter Sloane confirmed Kaino -- the 2004 International Rugby Board age-grade player of the year -- would be released for the March 5 match at Twickenham.

Kaino is set to join All Blacks Andrew Mehrtens, Carl Hoeft and Tana Umaga with one more New Zealand player to be added to the Rod Macqueen-coached team.

Kaino, 21, made his All Blacks debut against the Barbarians last year.

New Zealand will also provide two of the match officials, with Paddy O'Brien confirmed as referee and Paul Honiss and France's Joel Jutge the touch judges while former All Blacks lock Ian Jones has also been named Macqueen's assistant coach.

Meanwhile, Sloane confirmed he also expected to lose All Blacks wing Joe Rokocoko to the New Zealand sevens squad for the World Cup in Hong Kong two weeks after the tsunami game, the Dominion Post reported today.

- NZPA