Rugby: Head knock rules Saili out of Force clash

Hooker Keven Mealamu may be a starter in the Blues game against the Force in Perth on Sunday. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Loose forward Peter Saili has been ruled out of the Blues' next Super 15 match after struggling to recover from a head knock he received in the late stages of last weekend's win in South Africa.

The No 8 sat several psychometric tests after the squad arrived in Perth for their next match against the Force. The medical staff were not convinced Saili was fully fit to play and decided he should bypass the game on Sunday.

The team will not be announced until later today but the logical replacement would be Chris Lowrey, who was picked for the initial two matches but sat out the third in Johannesburg.

Some of the squad were struggling to adjust their sleep patterns after the flight from Africa to Perth and a number were also nursing wounds from the 41-32 win against the Lions. But Saili was the only player not in the selection frame for the duel with the Force.

That should mean a starting return for captain Keven Mealamu who was used from the bench last week as part of coach Pat Lam's plan to have a late blitz from his reserves. Others used as part of that tactic were Anthony Boric, Daniel Braid and Rene Ranger and it will be intriguing to see whether they are used in that role again.

Luke McAlister made a strong start last week in his switch to first five-eighths and the selectors are likely to continue with that strategy. His general play was solid while his goalkicking was faultless, topped off by a nifty dropped goal.

If McAlister is retained he will face young Wallaby James O'Connor who has been tasked to guide the Force backline while new recruit Willie Ripia is recovering from a foot injury.

Temperatures in Perth have been pushing towards the mid-30C and have not dipped much below 20C at night, conditions which will test the Blues' resilience even further after their travel. The Force will be missing injured flanker David Pocock and centre Mitch Inman while midfielder Rory Sidey is suspended.

Those absences will likely mean Wallaby Ben McCalman swapping to No 8 in a revamped loose forward trio with Sam Wykes resuming at lock after injury.

The Force lost their opening game against the Reds 20-21, then last week fell 39-12 to the Sharks after playing much of the match with 14 men once Sidey was sent off for a spear tackle.

* X-rays have revealed Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina suffered twin fractures in his back during the last round clash with the Rebels.

It is estimated that he will miss about four weeks of rugby.