KEY POINTS:
Ross Filipo's decision to resist a World Cup rugby campaign with Samoa has left him with an outside chance of attending the tournament as an All Black.
The hulking Wellington and Crusaders lock was still coming to grips today with the promotion of himself and Greg Rawlinson from the Junior All Blacks to ease New Zealand's test locking crisis.
At best, 28-year-old Filipo would have started this year ranked eighth on the All Blacks selectors' list of locking options but season-ending knee injuries to James Ryan and Jason Eaton and misfortune for Ali Williams and Keith Robinson in last Saturday's 61-10 win over France has altered the landscape.
Filipo baulked at suggestions he was in the national squad as a stop gap measure until Williams (broken jaw) and Robinson (calf strain) return to the fray, probably after the Tri-Nations.
He said developments last weekend showed how much of a role fate could play.
"I don't think Ali intended running into (Sebastien) Chabal like that and Keith got hurt in the warmup. It's just bad luck but one man's bad luck is another man's good fortune," he said.
One of the most consistent forwards in this year's Super 14, Filipo employed his 115kg frame to good effect in all 14 of the Crusaders' games.
He has also impressed in all three Junior Pacific Nations Cup matches so far this season.
Little would change from his physical, mobile style if handed a test debut against Canada in Hamilton on Saturday "and if the wise men are happy with it, sweet," the easy going Filipo said.
Thoughts of playing for Samoa entered his head when the Crusaders bowed out in the Super 14 semifinals last month.
"I'm in my late 20s and you start thinking about options, whether I should go to a World Cup or not," he said.
"I'm glad I held out because I've always wanted to be an All Black. I'm glad I didn't give up on my dream."
Until now, Filipo has had little reason to believe he was in the thinking of the national selectors.
His only contact this year with All Blacks coach Graham Henry was bumping into him at a Crusaders training session: "He said g'day, that was about it".
"I always had that goal in the back of my mind but it wasn't dominating to the point that I was stressing whether I'd make it or not."
Filipo believed his game had improved immeasurably from four years with the successful Crusaders franchise but he also talked up the influence of the Wellington provincial setup.
"I'm quite fortunate that I get two different environments. A lot of guys are stuck in one, but I get to draw good things from both environments and add it to my game."
Filipo missed the Robinson-Williams dramas against France because the Junior All Blacks were flying home from Tonga at the time.
Juniors co-coach Ian Foster warned him upon landing that a callup could be on the cards and that was confirmed via All Blacks manager Darren Shand yesterday morning when Filipo was waiting for his flight from Auckland to Wellington.
"It's been a long season but selection has put a spring in my step. I'm keen to get a crack. I'll turn up on Wednesday and see where things are at."
Team naming has been put back a day from Tuesday so All Blacks medical staff can assess the fitness of several players.
Meanwhile, Williams had emerged well from yesterday's surgery to stabilise two fractures in his jaw.
Team management said the lock was in good spirits today and was able to communicate through gritted teeth.
One of the challenges for Williams over coming weeks will be maintaining his weight as he can only ingest food through a straw.
- NZPA
