All Blacks: Vito propelled into the limelight

Victor Vito. Photo / Supplied

Under a slightly different set of circumstances, Victor Vito's only involvement in rugby now would be debriefing after Wellington's narrow escape from ITM Cup relegation.

Instead, a whirlwind two weeks has seen him emerge as one of the key pieces of Graham Henry's World Cup puzzle.

How big a role he has to play in the next eight weeks could become clearer today with the status of injured loose forwards Adam Thomson and Kieran Read expected to be clarified.

Thomson injured his elbow during the first half of Saturday's humbling loss to Australia in Brisbane, while Read left Suncorp Stadium after just 12 minutes, with a high-ankle strain the early diagnosis.

Read's departure paved the way for Vito to come off the bench and, after a skittish start, put in a coming-of-age performance.

Less than a month ago his World Cup dream looked to have bypassed 2011 and headed straight for England 2015.

Strong performances in an inexperienced Wellington team caught the selectors' eyes. He was called into the test squad for the test in Port Elizabeth and even though he played a minor role off the bench, his form was considered stronger than that of starting No 8 Liam Messam.

"It's all gone pretty quickly. To go from the ITM Cup to being in the World Cup squad within a couple of weeks is pretty extraordinary. It was out of my thinking, that's for sure," Vito said.

"It's time for the next challenge now, which is to step up and really make myself a big part of this squad."

He may have no choice. Even in a best-case injury scenario, Vito's form looks superior to Thomson's, which could elevate him to jersey No 19. In a worst-case scenario, he could be the starting No 8 for the early rounds at least, playing alongside Richie McCaw and Jerome Kaino.

After the second half in Brisbane, where he tore into his work and punched holes in the Wallabies' fringe defence, that is not a proposition fans should fear.

Vito's roommate in Brisbane, Brad Thorn, said the Suncorp cauldron would be a defining moment for the 24-year-old.

"I was really pleased for Victor," Thorn said. "He made a big contribution. That was a big moment in his career, in my opinion."

While Vito hopes for the best for Read and Thomson, he would be lying if he didn't ponder the ramifications it could have on his tournament.

"With those injuries, things have changed a little bit," he said at the All Blacks' official squad launch at Ponsonby Rugby Club. "It's good for New Zealand rugby when we have our top squad available, but I'm ready to put my hand up at any time."

Vito was pleased with his night's work in Brisbane, confessing that he felt under-prepared at lineout time, especially when Ali Williams came on as a lock-cum-loosie after Thomson was forced from the field.

Around the field, Vito played a big part in getting the All Blacks back in the game after a horror first half. He did that by heeding the advice of the selectors after being left out of the initial Tri-Nations squad.

"They told me in general to get my hands more on the ball and up my physicality. I took those comments away, tried to work on them and the ITM Cup was the perfect ground for that."

Being dropped tends to sharpen the senses, so one good performance off the bench is not going to go to Vito's head.

"It's not like I've made it now and that's it, I can rest on my laurels."