Senio surprised to get All Blacks summons

By CRAIG TIRIANA Kevin Senio didn't see the sickening blow which has him jetting to Australia today as cover for All Blacks halfback Byron Kelleher.
Senio's Chiefs Super 12 teammate was knocked senseless by South African lock Victor Matfield and forced out of the All Blacks' opening Tri Nations match on Saturday night in South Africa.
Senio was sound asleep at the time, enjoying a good rest after captaining the Bay of Plenty Steamers against Toyota and spending a quiet night in with his family in Mount Maunganui.
"We don't have Sky so I didn't watch it," Senio laughed yesterday. He said he and wife Anna, a Silver Fern, were simply too busy looking after their daughter, training and playing sport to be stuck on the couch "eyes fixed on television".
Senio admitted to needing a sit down yesterday after receiving a call from the All Blacks management telling him to get to Australia.
"I'm delighted but it's all happened so fast it probably won't sink in until I get over there.
"It's been a pretty amazing experience getting closer to the goal and being drafted in to the team."
Senio spent most of yesterday on the phone, conducting interviews and fielding congratulations before hightailing it to Auckland, which is where it all began for him.
Born there in 1978, by the time the inaugural Rugby World Cup rolled around in 1987 Senio was already dreaming of pulling on the revered black jersey.
His mind was made up after watching players like Michael Jones and John Kirwin carry New Zealand to their first, and only, success in that tournament.
However, Senio may never have worn the No 9 jersey if it wasn't for his older brother Dimitri who blocked the then-aspiring mid-fielder's path in the Kelston Boys' High School 1st XV.
Dimitri wasn't just a year older and the team's second five, he was also the captain.
"I had to find another position and halfback was the only gap," Senio said of his move towards the pack.
He was always considered a player headed for bigger things. He represented New Zealand at secondary schools, under-19 and colts levels before finding his career pathway blocked in the dense Auckland system.
Despite being a New Zealand Colt for two seasons, Senio couldn't crack the big time with imports Steve Devine and David Gibson preferred.
He was loaned at one point to Counties Manukau and sought a release to Bay of Plenty so he could pursue his career.
He was sent to the Bay two years ago, impressing enough with the Steamers to get a full Super 12 contract with the Chiefs this year.
On the back of solid NPC form Senio bolted into All Blacks contention. He was firstly selected for trials this year and then called to Australia as a replacement for the Junior All Blacks earlier this season.
He comes off his Bay contract at the end of this NPC season and has become one of the most in-demand footballers in the country with former All Black Justin Marshall heading overseas.
There is plenty of speculation about where he'll play his NPC football next year but Senio said he was very aware his rise had come through opportunities in the blue and gold jumper.
"I think if I just solely concentrate on making the All Blacks from the Bay itself it's a positive," Senio said.
It's understood he is in the sights of his former union and Canterbury while the Bay are hopeful of retaining him.
Bay of Plenty Steamers coach Vern Cotter said Senio's elevation was outstanding for the union.
"It says you can make the All Blacks from here - it's a great message for him and a great confidence booster for the rest of the team," Cotter said.
If Senio gets on the field this weekend he'll become the Bay's first resident All Black debutant since Gary Braid in 1983.
Meanwhile, Senio's rise to higher honours has seen Whakarewarewa's Garrick Cowley called into today's Bay of Plenty training run in Tauranga.
Cowley played for Otago Development last season and was in the union's wider training group this season.
Injuries to Jeffrey Ierome (thigh) and Allan Bunting (shoulder) have also seen Manu Samoa international Apoua Stewart and former Super 12 utility Ruben Parkinson drafted in to the Steamers squad as cover.