KEY POINTS:
Fullback Mils Muliaina became the first World Cup conditioning casualty yesterday with his return to rugby derailed by a broken foot.
The All Black fullback spent last night consulting a specialist in Hamilton about the best treatment for the fractured metatarsal in his left foot, an injury which is likely to keep him out of rugby for two months.
That forecast will eliminate Muliaina from the rest of the Chiefs' matches in the Super 14 and give him little chance of any extended matchplay before the All Blacks start their test programme in June.
Muliaina broke his foot in a bizarre accident yesterday during a trial game between the Blues and Chiefs development squads, a match which also claimed wing Joe Rokocoko as an injury victim. He rolled an ankle but was able to walk unassisted after the match while Muliaina was on crutches.
He travelled back to Hamilton where an x-ray revealed the break. The veteran of 47 tests for the All Blacks told the Herald he hurt his foot when he changed direction.
He had previously suffered a similar injury to his other foot and had the bone pinned.
"It is very disappointing for Mils, especially after all that time reconditioning but he will be back," Chiefs coach Ian Foster said about the latest injury victim in his squad.
Muliaina's injury was an unwelcome development after 22 players were withdrawn from the opening half of the Super 14 to undertake special physical training for their tilt at the World Cup this year.
After the final conditioning camp, the strategy was to ease the All Blacks through contact sessions before they were released to start the March 23 round eight of the Super 14.
Muliaina, Byron Kelleher and Sitiveni Sivivatu turned out for the Chiefs yesterday at the Unitec ground in Auckland while Rokocoko and Ali Williams played for the Blues with Keven Mealamu and Tony Woodcock sitting out the match because of minor leg injuries.
Rokocoko looked sharp when he scored the opening try of the match before he heard a click in his right ankle, got some attention, played a little more and then retired.
"It's just one of those things," he said later. "I guess you don't like to think about that in your first game back and I guess my own preparation going out wasn't too sharp."
Blues assistant coach Joe Schmidt said early indications were that Rokocoko would be available when the Blues returned to work against the Waratahs after their bye this week.
Halfback Byron Kelleher said he was rusty for the first quarter but the hitout with the Chiefs had been very beneficial. "To get out there in conditions which were messy around the rucks, it is wet so therefore it is going to test any halfback and that is exactly what I needed to get into the routine of playing rugby again," he said. "It was great to finally have a bashout after three months of reconditioning, it was great to get into some rugby finally."
