KEY POINTS:
All Black Keith Robinson has succumbed to a repeat calf injury but coach Graham Henry has dismissed the lock's latest medical mishap as no drama for the World Cup.
Robinson has been sidelined at least four times this season with his problem calf, the latest problem forced him to miss a practice game yesterday between the All Blacks and a New Zealand Police side as the World Cup squad completed their Christchurch training camp.
The 30-year-old lock missed the opening three rounds of the Super 14 after tearing his calf and then another three matches later in the series when he aggravated the injury. He blew his calf again warming up before the test against France in Wellington and had six weeks' absence until the final two Tri-Nations tests.
His latest calf strain came at the end of a three-day conditioning camp in which a number of other All Blacks sat out the trial game because of niggling injuries.
"It's nothing serious, he's tweaked his calf again," coach Graham Henry said.
"It's probably a 10-day injury but he can do other things and it's not going to be a long hindrance."
Robinson's career has been riddled with injury and, since his 2002 test debut, he has played only 10 internationals as he has dealt with back operations which removed him from rugby for several years, knee and muscle problems. He has played about seven games of top rugby this season.
Injured prop Greg Somerville continues to make a strong recovery after surgery to repair a torn retina in his right eye, although his selection by Tuesday's deadline remains uncertain.
"He's had two visits to the specialist with favourable reports and is involved in non-contact work," forwards coach Steve Hansen said.
Somerville has played only several club games and one provincial match after two operations to repair an Achilles tendon he ruptured in South Africa a year ago, then after he received an accidental poke in his eye.
Others who sat out yesterday's match because of injury were Ali Williams, Reuben Thorne, Richie McCaw and Neemia Tialata.
"The whole game allowed us to work on a few what-if's," Hansen said. "We used Carl Hayman at lock at one stage, Aaron Mauger and Luke McAlister went into flanker and that was all about catering in case our locks were injured or players were yellow-carded.
"There were no goalkicks and it was a pretty free-flowing game. We beat them easily but they were very physical at the breakdown and the whole thing was top practice. We worked on an array of things."
Henry told NZPA that a lack of game time was not a worry ahead of the World Cup starting in France next month.
"We've got two camps over five weeks. That's six days in five weeks and we think it's the way to go," he said.
"We can simulate game-type conditions in our training. We're not too concerned about that."
