All Blacks: Kahui, Muliaina add to midfield woes

Muliaina suffered a calf muscle strain in a club rugby game in the weekend. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Chiefs duo Richard Kahui and Mils Muliaina are the latest casualties in a list of players unable to front for New Zealand's first test of the season, against Ireland in New Plymouth in a fortnight.

Counts will vary but seven candidates who would have figured in All Black discussions about second five-eighths have now been scrubbed from those debates.

Muliaina's return to club rugby at the weekend, after two months absence with a broken thumb, was ill-fated as he suffered a calf muscle strain which will eliminate him from a repeat appearance for his Te Rapa club this weekend.

That injury recurrence is likely to eliminate Muliaina from the All Blacks' initial test as he was already on an ultra-tight deadline to be considered. The All Blacks regular fullback, Muliaina has also played centre and might have been considered for a midfield role because of the growing injury toll.

He joins Ma'a Nonu, Isaia Toeava and Kahui as injury defections while Tamati Ellison, Anthony Tuitavake and Daniel Bowden are heading to overseas contracts.

That leaves Stephen Donald, Benson Stanley, Luke McAlister and Ryan Crotty as the contenders for second five-eighths when the All Blacks are announced on Sunday.

Kahui has been struggling with a chest injury since the Chiefs' second to last game against the Waratahs and a consultation this week with All Black doctor Deb Robinson pinpointed the problem. The midfield back has torn a cartilage by his first rib on the lefthand side of his chest and has been told to sit out the next three weeks of rugby.

"While I'm obviously disappointed, I just need to get on with my rehabilitation," Kahui said in a statement.

"At the moment I can't do contact training or much upper body training, but I can still work on skills and other parts of my game during this time."

Chiefs hooker and two-test All Black Aled de Malmanche also travelled to Christchurch this week to consult Dr Robinson about a shoulder injury which has bothered him since the team's last pool match against the Blues. There were no reports that he had suffered any more than muscular damage.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Rugby Union remain hopeful their offer to Sonny Bill Williams will persuade the Toulon midfielder to sign on for the national provincial championship.

"We have put a contractual offer in front of Sonny and that has been done in the normal manner here and is not one that has come from the coaches," chief executive Steve Tew said. "We always take the coaches' views on board before any offers are made."

Tew said he was very comfortable with the offer made to Williams in comparison to any player of similar rugby standing.

"He will need to make a decision on what is best for his rugby, not his wallet, in the short term."

Williams had received strong reviews from a number of observers trusted by the All Black coaching staff.

"They believe he is worth an investment of time if he is prepared to come and play his game in this country. Time will tell whether that is an accurate assessment or not."

Three provinces had made Williams offers and the NZRU had put a contract in front of him, involving conditions for provincial, Super rugby and test representation. He had not been promised anything about an All Black career.

Tew thought it was appropriate for the All Black coach to be tour guide for Williams' agent, Khoder Nasser, this week.

"It indicates how professional we are, it indicates how much time and effort we have been prepared to put into Sonny Bill that we believe is being done properly and we do not do anything halfpie. A lot of our people, including our coaches, spend a lot of time with player agents.

"They just don't happen to have the profile of this particular guy."