Rapid-fire recovery puts Sivivatu back in picture

Sitiveni Sivivatu rolled an ankle in last weekend's 50-15 warmup win over Bay of Plenty. Picture / Alan Gibson

Sitiveni Sivivatu has made a rapid recovery from an ankle injury and is fit for Waikato's opening national championship match in Invercargill on Saturday - and fellow absentee All Black, Sione Lauaki, is on track to return next week.

Sivivatu rolled an ankle in last weekend's 50-15 warmup win over Bay of Plenty. Initially it was thought he would miss the Southland game.

"He had the flu for a couple of days, but he did a bit of stuff on the bike on Tuesday and he's really keen to play," Waikato coach Warren Gatland said.

The classy winger had a fine Super 14 campaign for the Chiefs, playing every game and scoring six tries. However he damaged a knee before the start of the All Blacks' international programme. He has had game time in pre-season games but his fitness for Saturday is a boost for the team.

Powerful loose forward Lauaki has been absent since tearing a pectoral muscle against the Bulls which sidelined him for the last five games of the Super 14 and the entire All Black campaign so far this year.

His form at that point was near irresistible. Gatland said Lauaki should be ready to face Canterbury next Friday night.

"If we really pushed it, he could have been in the 22 this week, but this is his first week of doing some contact stuff and he's such a confrontational player on attack he's just not quite 100 per cent confident."

David Hill is missing with an abdominal strain, Dwayne Sweeney getting the start at second five-eighth.

Steven Bates captains Waikato from blindside flanker, with in-form Liam Messam at No 8 and Marty Holah in his usual openside role. Bates clearly remembers last year's trip to Invercargill, when Waikato needed a late Holah try to sneak home 14-12.

"They probably don't have big flashy names of teams like Auckland, but they have a pack of really hard workers who do their job well," Bates said. "But we're in a good place, the guys are starting to fly and Gatty has put in a good development system since he's been back and it's starting to show a few dividends, to be honest."

* Bay of Plenty are without Tongan hooker Aleki Lutui and No 8 Colin Bourke for their opening pool A game against Wellington in the capital tomorrow night. Lutui has a calf strain and Bourke a recurring ankle problem.

They are among six players not considered due to injury and with Wellington having three All Blacks back in their pack, Jerry Collins, Neemia Tialata and Chris Masoe, new Bay coach Andre Bell didn't need any untimely injury worries.

* As if coping with a near-full strength Canterbury pack isn't hard enough, Northland will be without influential captain and first five-eighth David Holwell at Whangarei on Saturday.

Holwell damaged a rib cartilage in last weekend's 36-21 loss to Southland.

* North Harbour prop Mike Noble has been banned for three weeks for punching a Tasman player in last weekend's clash in Blenheim.

Noble was sent to the sin bin after landing a flurry of blows on an opponent at a ruck and subsequently cited. He will miss games against Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and Wellington.

Counties Manukau prop Poaloi Taula, cited for an alleged dangerous tackle against Otago, was cleared.