All Black Carlos Spencer, fit again after knee surgery last year, may make a surprise appearance on the Auckland Blues bench for their Super 12 match against the Stormers at Eden Park on Saturday night.
Spencer, who has trained with the Blues squad over the past couple of weeks, had a run for an invitation side against a King's College XV yesterday.
"I am now considering Carlos for the reserves, which is why I left a space open there," Blues coach Gordon Hunter said after training last night.
"By all accounts he went very well this afternoon and all the reports on him from the selectors are very positive."
Hunter will have to wait as late as possible to see whether his goalkicking fullback Adrian Cashmore will be fit to start the match. Cashmore jarred the knee he had surgery on more than a month ago in the match against the Hurricanes last Friday.
"The medical opinion on Adrian is quite good, but I've taken the precaution of bracketing him at the back with Hayden Taylor," Hunter said.
"If there is too much doubt over him, I will not play him. For that reason I've also withdrawn Doug Howlett [shoulder] and Troy Flavell [cut mouth] from Saturday's team."
Howlett's place on the left wing has gone to Iliesa Tanivula, with North Harbour's Aisea Tuilevu named on the bench, while Charles Riechelmann will start in place of Flavell.
Eroni Clarke will start at centre and Finau Maka returns from injury to make the bench, as does halfback Steve Devine.
Blues: Adrian Cashmore or Hayden Taylor, Joeli Vidiri, Eroni Clarke, Iliesa Tanivula, Craig Innes, Orene Ai'i, Mark Robinson, Xavier Rush, Justin Collins, Charles Riechelmann, Robin Brooke (captain), Andrew Blowers, Craig Dowd, Davin Heaps, Paul Thomson.
Reserves: Keven Mealamu, Nick White, Leo Lafaiali'i, Finau Maka, Steve Devine, Aisea Tuilevu and one to be named.
Lock Norm Maxwell is the only player missing from the regular Canterbury Crusaders lineup for their match against the Hurricanes in Wellington tomorrow.
Maxwell has a shoulder injury. Steve Lancaster will partner captain Todd Blackadder at lock.
The Crusaders are poised to equal a Super 12 record and set a personal best if they beat the Hurricanes.
Victory would extend the Crusaders' winning sequence to 12 matches, bettering their own record by one and equalling the mark set by the Blues, who won 12 in succession in 1997.
Their winning streak started almost a year ago with a last-minute victory against the Northern Bulls in Pretoria, a match mostly remembered for Andrew Mehrtens' fingered salute to the crowd after he had kicked the winning dropped goal.
Crusaders: Leon MacDonald, Marika Vunibaka, Norm Berryman, Caleb Ralph, Daryl Gibson, Andrew Mehrtens, Justin Marshall, Ron Cribb, Scott Robertson, Steve Lancaster, Todd Blackadder (captain), Reuben Thorne, Greg Somerville, Mark Hammett, Greg Feek.
Reserves. Aaron Mauger, Mark Mayerhofler, Aaron Flynn, Dallas Seymour, Chris Jack, Con Barrell, Slade McFarland.
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