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Ali Williams' rugby rehabilitation starts today with his Ponsonby club, but any return to Super 14 action will depend on the final being played in Christchurch.
The Herald understands Williams will not face any serious misconduct charge from the New Zealand Rugby Union after his dramatic expulsion from the Blues this week for cumulative breaches of team behaviour rules.
Any hope for Williams rejoining the Blues for the Super 14 decider would depend on multiple injuries or them playing the Crusaders in Christchurch.
Injury could provoke a call for Williams if the Blues survived to play the Bulls in a Pretoria final but it would involve his fifth recent trip across the Indian Ocean. Privately, those involved feel that would not be favourable preparation for a top game.
Meanwhile, the Blues were forced to issue another statement yesterday after confusion generated by comments from manager Ant Strachan.
He reiterated that Williams had to go home because he was excluded from the 22 and locking cover from Anthony Boric was needed. On his return to Auckland, the lock maintained he could not stay because the Blues would have exceeded the allowable Sanzar limit of 26 players.
Neither explanation stacked up. Boric was not required in the 22 as Angus Macdonald went into the reserves, while the Blues have only 25 players in Durban and could have retained Williams.
Instead Williams will take his 40-test experience into the Ponsonby pack where he will lock the scrum with his brother Jay in the feature club game against University at Western Springs. The Blues' review after last season's average results identified a disturbing lack of guidance and accountability from the players.
A leadership committee was appointed involving captain Troy Flavell, Keven Mealamu, Nick White, Justin Collins, Steve Devine and Doug Howlett.
That group decided Williams should be cut from the 22 for tomorrow's semifinal in Durban because of his unruly behaviour and persistent breaches of team etiquette since his return from the All Blacks' conditioning programme. Blues management used that decision and muddied rationale about back-up players and Sanzar regulations to send Williams home.
As Williams fronted a media conference on his return, Strachan was talking about his "minor indiscretion" and his chances of returning for the final. It was a perplexing landscape.
Sources close to the team suggested the senior leadership group, while not resiling from the decision to ignore Williams for the semifinal, were concerned about the more dramatic consequences.
Rob Nichol, head of the Players' Association, said the Blues' move to have a leadership group was one his organisation supported.
"When players take more ownership it creates more self-belief within a side," he said.
Williams has apparently been a disruptive influence since he, Mealamu, Tony Woodcock and Joe Rokocoko were handed back to the Blues after three months' work with the All Blacks fitness staff.
Woodcock has had plenty of matchplay because of an injury to Saimone Taumoepeau, Mealamu has started three games and come off the bench in four others, Joe Rokocoko has started one game and been a sub twice, and Williams had two starts and four bit-part involvements from the reserves.
All Black coach Graham Henry was disappointed that Rokocoko was not playing but claimed he was not concerned about the sporadic selection of Williams and Mealamu.
But Williams confessed at one stage he was getting frustrated about his inability to crack the starting XV regularly.
