Waikato hope injury-prone squad on the mend

1.00pm

The Waikato NPC squad has resembled an airport this season.

Coach John Mitchell has been desperately keeping pace with matching the departures with arrivals through an horrific injury toll.

But this week he is hoping the departure lounge is empty as his team look to consolidate their top-four placing in the against Otago in Dunedin on Friday night.

And on the arrival front there is a good chance hooker Tom Willis, midfield back Derek Maisey and wing Roger Randle -- each rehabilitated after surgery required during the Super 12 from a back injury, broken leg and ruptured Achilles tendon respectively -- will make their comeback via Waikato B this week.

Mitchell said it would depend on how their respective rehabilitation programmes had progressed by later this week.

"I think this game is the best we've come out all season (with injuries). The medical staff had great pleasure in actually explaining that to me as soon as I came through the (dressing room) door, so maybe that person upstairs is overlooking us well," Mitchell said after their 41-21 win over Northland at Waikato Stadium on Saturday night.

All Blacks loose forwards Jono Gibbes and Marty Holah were successfully reintroduced to the team in that match and will be all the better for having their first 80 minutes of rugby in three weeks, while prop Deacon Manu also got through a full game after having the previous week off for personal reasons.

Gibbes said it was good to get some rugby under his belt.

"There were a few of us who needed it out there and I think there will be some huge benefits that we can take out of a game like that."

Gibbes was down to resume the captaincy but in the end it stayed with Steven Bates as there were some doubts whether tight hamstrings would allow the All Blacks blindside flanker to play.

But after struggling in the first half to get into the game he said he had gotten a second wind after the break and there was no doubt he came into his own the more the match wore on.

A decision was likely to be made today about who would captain the team for the rest of the season, with Bates having done a good job to date in Gibbes' absence.

"It took a while to get going but at the end of the day we did get five points, which is all we could ask for, but also I believe it was a good test of character," Bates said.

After Northland made a dream start to the second half to close to within six points of Waikato, he said the home side could have crumbled but instead showed a bit of steel.

"Jon (Jono Gibbes) and myself had a chat behind the goal line and we realised we really had to start the wheels in motion now because if we left it any longer we were really going to struggle out there," Bates said.

"And things did go well for us, while the players who came on had a genuine impact on the game, which is something that perhaps been lacking in recent weeks."

Waikato are third equal after five rounds of the NPC with four games left to play before the semifinals.

After Otago, they have Canterbury and North Harbour at home and then leaders Taranaki away.

- NZPA

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