Waikato hit with double whammy

By CHRIS RATTUE

Injury-plagued Waikato have been hit with more problems going into tomorrow night's showdown with Wellington in the capital.

Lock Dave Duley is out for the season and prop Deacon Manu is unavailable for personal reasons, with no indication of when he might return. Nineteen-year-old lock Toby Lynn, who played in pre-season matches and has since been in the development side, will make his NPC debut in place of Duley.

Duley was found this week to have a ligament rupture near a thumb. He initially suffered the injury against Bay of Plenty, then aggravated it in the brilliant win over Auckland.

He will be operated on this week and will have the cast removed around semifinals time.

The double whammy in the forwards has been offset partially by the selection of test halfback Byron Kelleher, who will make his Waikato debut after the shift from Otago.

Kelleher should be firing on all cylinders after a break following a cameo test campaign behind Justin Marshall.

Isaac Boss drops back to the bench, with veteran Rhys Duggan - who was included as cover for Kelleher - missing out.

Test loose forwards Marty Holah and Jono Gibbes continue to be rested, as coach John Mitchell has indicated he would do all along.

With All Black lock Keith Robinson also ruled out for the NPC season, Gibbes - the Waikato captain - looks certain to play at lock when he makes his return.

Meanwhile, hooker Greg Smith remains unavailable as he awaits a second neurologist's opinion, which could end his career.

Smith experiences headaches, plus vision and speech problems, relating to a concussion he suffered last year in a Super 12 game when he was stomped by Troy Flavell.

Wellington have added a spark to their line-up with the mad-stepping Riki Flutey replacing David Holwell.