KEY POINTS:
You would imagine if Richard Kahui had his year again, he would have pulled a sickie on the morning of the Chiefs pre-season game against the Hurricanes in January.
But the talented centre reckons he would still have played the match which has defined his disrupted season.
What
he would not have done was try to return for the Chiefs' fourth-round match against the Bulls, when he redamaged his right shoulder, setting back his return to full fitness a further four weeks.
To backtrack, Kahui, coming off a rattling Air New Zealand Cup campaign with Waikato, was set to push hard for an All Black spot this year.
Blessed with impressive speed and size, the 21-year-old had been in dazzling form as Waikato cleaned up the national championship, finishing top tryscorer, and can't have been far off a trip to Britain and France with the All Blacks. He seemed set to put out a strong bid for World Cup selection.
But in Wanganui, a fortnight before the Super 14 began, his right shoulder met the knee of Hurricanes prop John Schwalger, resulting in a painful impact fracture and a small tear round the rotator cuff. For a time he lost all strength in his arm and remembers weeks of frustration.
He got several diagnoses of the problem, but there was no quick cure.
After missing the first three rounds, the shoulder felt good on the eve of the Chiefs' match against the Bulls in Pretoria.
"Fozzy [coach Ian Foster] was talking to me about how I was feeling. I felt quite good. So I went down to the stadium with the tackle pads and smashed them round a bit and felt fine.
"But then in the first ruck I was hit on the shoulder and it was back to where it was," he said.
Cue three more weeks' rest and rehab.
"Some mornings I'd get up and it would have come on a long way," Kahui said. "The first two to three weeks it progressed quite quickly, then it plateaued for a long time. That was the really frustrating stage for me. If I could have my time again I would still play the pre-season game, but probably wouldn't have come back as soon as I did."
Finally, he returned recharged against the Blues in Hamilton last weekend. The Chiefs lost a bruising match 18-11 but Kahui came through fine. This time, he had completed a week of preparation "and that gave me confidence and I got through the week quite nicely".
The shoulder was a bit sore the next day, but nothing like it had been a few weeks earlier.
He's had a brief conversation with All Blacks coach Graham Henry at one point during his recovery. Nothing significant, more along the lines of "when are you coming back". And Kahui scotches the idea that he was close to All Black selection before his injury.
"I've still got a lot of work to do, and if ever it was going to be possible I would have had to get a full year under my belt. The Super 14 gives you a good gauge of how players will go when they make the next step."
As his time has been limited, his expectations for later this year are realistic.
"When you're not playing, it's tough to get up every morning and come to training. You work hard all week to play on Saturday; I've been working hard for the last eight weeks for one game," he said.
Kahui starts against the Highlanders in Queenstown today, a venue and matchup which is a quirky reminder of 2006 when he was drafted into the Highlanders squad.
"I played at Queenstown in a pre-season game for the Chiefs last year, then the next week I was down there playing for the Highlanders. It was about 32 degrees and I couldn't breathe. It was tough."
It won't be that nippy today but there should be plenty of heat in what has become a critical game for both teams.
The Highlanders are eighth with 20 points; the Chiefs are 11th on 17. Both can still sneak into the top four playoffs, but will need to get a hurry on.
The Chiefs have rejigged their back three, with All Black wing Sitiveni Sivivatu starting at fullback, opening a space for speedster Lelia Masaga, who, having scored four tries in the first five games, was benched when Sivivatu returned from All Black reconditioning.
Niva Ta'auso starts at second five-eighths for the injured Tasesa Lavea, increasing the bulk in the backline. The pack is unchanged, with a bracket on No 8 Sione Lauaki and Liam Messam.
Queenstown, 2.35pm today
Highlanders: James Wilson, Lucky Mulipola, Matt Saunders, Aaron Bancroft, Vili Waqaseduadua, Nick Evans, Jimmy Cowan, Ezra Taylor, Alando Soakai, Craig Newby (c), James Ryan, Hoani Macdonald, Carl Hayman, Anton Oliver, Clarke Dermody
Reserves: Jason Macdonald, Chris King, Kane Thompson, Hale T-Pole, Toby Morland, Charlie Hore, Callum Bruce
Chiefs: Sitiveni Sivivatu, Lelia Masaga, Richard Kahui, Niva Ta'auso, Roy Kinikinilau, Stephen Donald, Byron Kelleher, Lauaki/Messam, Marty Holah, Steven Bates, Keith Robinson, Kristian Ormsby, Nathan White, Tom Willis, Simms Davison
Reserves: Aled de Malmanche, Ben Castle, Jono Gibbes, Messam or Tanerau Latimer, Brendon Leonard, Murray Williams, Dwayne Sweeney
