It's almost unfair for a top-of-the-table team to recall a man only two years removed from being named world player of the year.
But that's the situation greeting the Chiefs ahead of Friday night's clash with the Blues in Hamilton, adding Brodie Retallick to a side already firing fully in almost every facet.
The All Black will return after suffering broken ribs in last month's shock loss to the Lions, having watched from the sidelines as his teammates strung together four straight victories, each more impressive than the last.
His inclusion, then, almost feels like a luxury, though there's no doubt coach Dave Rennie would have been counting days until he could again write Retallick's name as one of the first on every teamsheet. The Chiefs' pack has in the past month laid a solid platform for their explosive attack while boasting only one true lock, with Michael Allardice joined by the makeshift but capable duo of Johan Bardoul and Taleni Seu.
And if the presence of the marauding Retallick weren't enough of a test for a Blues team missing their own All Black lock in Patrick Tuipulotu, the Chiefs will also welcome Dominic Bird into the second row, set to make his maiden appearance after moving north from the Crusaders.
