Mauger possibility at Harbour

By CHRIS RATTUE

Nathan Mauger for North Harbour. That is the shock possibility this season - even though the All Black centre will turn out for Canterbury against Wellington in the NPC opener in the capital tomorrow night.

Nothing has been signed yet, and Canterbury will have to assess the fitness of their All Blacks before a decision is made.

Mauger is one of the few recognisable names in the Red and Blacks line-up tomorrow. Coach Aussie McLean is resting his multitude of stars and has to do without loosehead prop Greg Feek for the season because of injury.

But Canterbury, the NPC champions, are considering loaning the 24-year-old Mauger to North Harbour because they have a surplus of midfield backs, and Mauger wants game time.

The arrival of highly promising national Colt first or second-five-eighths Daniel Carter has created further pressure in the midfield, where Canterbury have the All Black quartet of the Mauger brothers, Daryl Gibson and Mark Robinson to choose from.

But Robinson has a back injury and is rated a "week by week" proposition and his fitness will have a major bearing on Nathan Mauger's whereabouts this season.

Talks have taken place, but Canterbury chief executive Hamish Riach said last night it was "speculative and premature" to suggest that Mauger - the older of the brother double act than includes test star Aaron - would head north to join the Russell Jones-coached Harbour.

North Harbour - who open their campaign at Albany against Bay of Plenty on Saturday night - have lost Rua Tipoki to Japan and Rico Gear to an ankle injury, and would welcome a player of Mauger's class.

Nathan Mauger burst on to the scene last year when he made the end-of-season All Black tour to Ireland, Scotland and Argentina, when he played in two non-test games at centre.