McDonnell looks for winning Wellington combination

Rusty forward combinations are partly to blame for the Wellington rugby team's stuttering start to the NPC first division, says injured captain Joe McDonnell.

But the sidelined prop believes it's not too late for Wellington to get their act together following successive losses at home to North Harbour and Otago.

"There are a lot of guys who hadn't been playing week in, week out during the Super 12," McDonnell said today when asked why he thought the Wellington pack had failed to fire in the opening three weeks of the season.

"There's also been a few injuries in the forwards, with myself and Kristian Ormsby out.

"Take the ABs (All Blacks) out of the frame and all of a sudden you have guys playing out of position, Neemia (Tialata) playing loosehead, Luke Andrews at blindside, you have to get those combinations right and sometimes that takes a while."

Although Wellington had a Super 12-strength pack, the current combination had had little time together, said McDonnell, a former All Black who is out for the rest of the NPC with a fractured shoulder that will be operated on on Thursday.

Lock Ross Kennedy and Tialata played the majority of the Super 12, but have both been hampered by surgery.

Prop Tim Fairbrother and No 8 Thomas Waldrom played minor roles for the Hurricanes, while hooker Mahonri Schwalger and lock Ross Filipo were with the Highlanders and Crusaders, respectively.

Coach John Plumtree is expected to give those players a final chance to repair their reputations against Waikato in Hamilton on Friday night.

Second five-eighth Tane Tu'ipulotu has been ruled out with an ankle injury and is expected to be replaced by Tamati Ellison, while rookie halfback Nigel Hunt may struggle to keep veteran Brendan Haami on the bench.

Plumtree names his side tomorrow.

McDonnell said a lack of combination would not wash this week and was only partly to blame for Wellington's lacklustre showings.

"When you haven't got the ball, you can't play footy ... the basic things we have not been doing right. Everyone can see that.

"If you hang on to the ball or don't present it properly, or clean rucks properly ... those are the basics.

"If you don't do those right it's pretty hard to get your game going at this level."

- nzpa