All Blacks lock Tupou Vaa’i ruled out of Chiefs quarter-final against Queensland Reds due to knee injury

Tupou Vaa'i is nursing a knee injury for the second time this season. Photo / Getty Images

The Chiefs are positive one of their sidelined All Blacks will be available to play in the Super Rugby Pacific semifinals should they get past the Queensland Reds on Saturday afternoon.

After limping off with 25 minutes left in their final regular season contest against the Western Force in Perth last week, imposing lock Tupou Vaa’i was ruled out of this weekend’s elimination game in Hamilton.

The 23-year-old is dealing with a niggling knee injury but is not expected to be out of action for long.

With the competition for the locking spots in the All Blacks squad tight behind incumbent duo Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock, Vaa’i has continued to trend in the right direction this season. He’s proven to be a problem for opposition teams at the lineout, leading the Chiefs with seven steals, and has been among the side’s leading tacklers.

It’s the second time this season Vaa’i has been sidelined due to a knee injury, after a low-grade MCL issue in the side’s round three win over the Highlanders saw him miss the following two games.

Gold Sport has a commentary of all four Super Rugby quarter-finals starting with Blues v Waratahs tonight

The Chiefs are not short of quality locking options, however. Two-test All Black Josh Lord takes his place in the starting lineup, getting another opportunity to show what he’s capable of after having his season heavily impacted by his recovery from a knee injury and, more recently, being sidelined due to a head injury. That injury was suffered in the Chiefs’ last match against the Reds in Taranaki a month ago – the Chiefs’ lone loss of the regular season.

The squad that runs out for the side this weekend will, however, look fairly different to the group who fell in Taranaki. While the backline remains familiar, with halfback Brad Weber the only one of the back seven to not feature in that game, the pack sees Aidan Ross, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Retallick and Sam Cane all line up against the Queenslanders this time around.

Weber said facing off against the only team to get the better of them in the regular season gave the Chiefs a point to prove for the quarter-final.

“It definitely gives you that knot in your gut that these guys, where they are on the table doesn’t matter does it? Any team, on their day, can beat you and they proved that last time, so we have a lot to prove,” Weber said.

He added there were some important things the side took away from that loss and highlighted the importance of earning the right to move the ball.

“We can’t just throw the ball around and expect things to happen,” Weber said. “We have to actually work for it. The feeling amongst the camp was that we tried a bit too hard individually and went away from a lot of our game plan that’s been working for us all year.

“I think that’s the sort of thing that will come out this weekend.”

Chiefs: Shaun Stevenson, Emoni Narawa, Anton Lienert-Brown, Rameka Poihipi, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Damian McKenzie, Brad Weber, Luke Jacobson, Sam Cane, Samipeni Finau, Josh Lord, Brodie Retallick, John Ryan, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Aidan Ross.

Reserves: Bradley Slater, Ollie Norris, George Dyer, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Pita Gus Sowakula, Cortez Ratima, Josh Ioane, Daniel Rona.

Reds: Jock Campbell, Suliasi Vunivalu, Filipo Daugunu, James O’Connor, Josh Flook, Tom Lynagh, Tate McDermott, Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Seru Uru, Ryan Smith, Angus Blyth, Sef Fa’agase, Matt Faessler, Peni Ravai.

Reserves: Richie Asiata, Dane Zander, Zane Nonggorr, Lopeti Faifua, Jake Upfield, Kalani Thomas, Lawson Creighton, Taj Annan.