Rugby: Sivivatu out of Bulls clash

Sitiveni Sivivatu. Photo / Getty Images

The Chiefs will be without injured All Blacks winger Sitiveni Sivivatu for their Super 15 rugby match against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Sunday morning (NZT).

Sivivatu had been bracketed with Save Tokula when the team was named overnight but Chiefs coach Ian Foster this morning said the left winger had failed to come through their latest training session and would not play on Sunday, forcing one change to the team that started in last weekend's 34-30 win against the Lions in Johannesburg.

The only other tweaking has been on the bench, with former All Black Isaac Ross named as lock cover ahead of the injured Hayden Triggs (neck pain), while prop Sona Taumalolo comes back into the squad for Nathan White, who is also injured.

With Sivivatu's hamstring twinge getting the better of him, Jackson Willison moves onto the bench as outside back cover.

"We've been waiting to give Save a chance, he did a lot of good things last week (off the bench) and he's got the match fitness last week under his belt," Foster said. "We wanted to keep running with that combination."

The match is Foster's 100th in charge of the Chiefs.

Chiefs: Mils Muliaina, Lelia Masaga, Richard Kahui, Dwayne Sweeney, Save Tokula, Stephen Donald, Brendon Leonard, Fritz Lee, Scott Waldrom, Liam Messam, Romana Graham, Craig Clarke, Ben Afeaki, Aled de Malmanche, Toby Smith. Reserves: Hika Elliot, Sona Taumalolo, Isaac Ross, Sam Cane, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Tim Nanai-Williams, Jackson Willison.

- NZPA