KEY POINTS:
No returning All Black, not even the Crusader sextet, hit the ground with more vim in their boots than Byron Kelleher.
After having been corked by the All Blacks reconditioning programme since the start of the year, Kelleher looked fit to burst during his comeback game against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium last weekend.
Even though his team were ordinary, Kelleher was impressive, making a couple of telling solo breaks, kicking tidily and adding plenty of verve to an otherwise ho-hum match.
"Getting back into it is pretty exciting," the 30-year-old said. "To have three months where you can have some mental space away from the game is quite energising."
The All Black halfback is primed for a big finale this year. After the World Cup, he joins French club Agen. That move has done two things: whetted his desire to embark on a new stage of his career but before that to leave New Zealand on a high.
That means helping the Chiefs up the Super 14 ladder, starting against leaders and rivals the Blues in Hamilton tomorrow night, and then the All Blacks on their World Cup mission in September-October.
If the All Black selectors need to push their case for a permanent window for retuning their best players before each season, they could turn to Kelleher as advocate-in-chief. And his praise for the plan came with a warning.
"I don't know how they'd structure it but for all players, especially All Blacks, it's important they have that window to be able to work on rehab and lay some foundations.
"By that I mean getting bigger, stronger, faster and fitter, because if they don't the rest of the world is going to pass them."
Kelleher said he has put on about 2kg of muscle. But, physical elements aside, the chance for a mental time out was almost as important.
The returning All Blacks produced a mix of performances last weekend.
The Crusaders looked as if they'd never been away; ditto Kelleher.
Anton Oliver looked up for it in the Highlanders game against the Bulls, but Kelleher's Chiefs chum Sitiveni Sivivatu was patchy and the Hurricanes were distinctly average in Johannesburg.
"It's to be expected that some of the guys would come back and take a couple of games to warm into rugby again," Kelleher said.
"But it's not all about how well you play in the first couple of games; it's about having space away to be refreshed for the bigger pictures, which this year is the World Cup."
Kelleher is poised on 49 test appearances. He will become the 25th to reach the half century during the first international bracket of matches, against France or Canada in June.
He won't catch old rival Justin Marshall, who retired with 79 tests behind him, second only to Sean Fitzpatrick's 92. But he'll spend his last few months in New Zealand rugby putting himself about with loads of hustle and fire. Cue the Blues tomorrow night.
Kelleher is no born-and-bred man of the Waikato. But the Dunedin-born No 9 has been there four years and long ago picked up the rivalry vibe against Auckland.
"Being involved with this team for four years, I know when they're desperate they're dangerous, and that's a great feeling," he said.
The Chiefs, lying ninth, haven't got room for slipups if they want to make a late run into the top four playoffs.
Watch for Kelleher to spark them again tomorrow.
