Rugby: Calling all halfbacks

Kayne Hammington is happy to be thrown in the deep end. Photo / Getty Images

Chiefs’ injury toll puts rookie on bench for weekend’s big game against Highlanders.

They normally boast three of the nation's best but the Chiefs' biggest game of the season may just feature a rookie No9.

Manawatu halfback Kayne Hammington will be on the bench for this weekend's knockout clash with the Highlanders, providing the 23-year-old the possibility of a dream Super Rugby debut.

And while far from ideal, losing yet another key cog has hardly been described in nightmarish terms by Dave Rennie. Augustine Pulu's broken arm means he is the latest frontline player to miss time but, with trickling injuries this year, the Chiefs still appear relatively healthy ahead of Saturday night.

Halfback is the exception -- with Pulu joining long-term absentee Tawera Kerr-Barlow and leaving Brad Weber the last man standing of the team's trio of All Black hopefuls -- but the outlook elsewhere is positive.

Rennie has a question mark over Charlie Ngatai, who suffered a concussion in last weekend's loss to the Hurricanes, but the Chiefs are hopeful their starting centre will pass subsequent protocols after ticking off the first set.

The injury crisis that plagued the locking stocks has cleared and in Sam Cane and Hika Elliot, two integral parts of the side's backbone will return rested and ready for the winner-take-all encounter.

All things considered, having watched his side fall against the Hurricanes and forced on the road, Rennie was rosy ahead of the trip to Dunedin. But his mood was nothing compared to that of Hammington.

Having made a positive impression on Rennie in 2011, when he and Kerr-Barlow were world champion Baby Blacks halfbacks, the Manawatu man has this year had a hectic season.

Hammington has spent the season shuttling between Palmerston North and Hamilton, offering injury cover to the Chiefs while enjoying regular runs for Feilding. He was more than happy to trade club rugby for a knockout battle.

"It's being thrown in the deep end a little bit but it's pretty exciting and I'll be happy with anything," he said. "Just training with the boys for this long has been awesome and, if I get a run, it'll be a dream come true."

Weber will naturally take the No9 jersey from kickoff and, if all goes to plan, Hammington may not even be seen in a Chiefs jersey. After all, a tight tussle could see Weber play 80 minutes, while Kerr-Barlow is pushing hard for an unlikely return should the Chiefs advance.

But, having started the season in fifth spot on the depth chart, merely having the chance to experience this environment is reward enough.

"I'm right down the list. Leon [Fukofuka, wider training group halfback] has been injured for quite a lot of the season, I suppose, so I've been up here for quite a while, just in the background."

If Hammington moves to the forefront on Saturday night, it will also be owed in part to the opponent he will be attempting to edge. Having soaked up Aaron Smith's advice during the pair's Manawatu days, the similarly-statured Hammington has modelled his game on the All Black.

And together with Weber and Fumiaki Tanaka, the undersized quartet will have a big impact on which side stays alive.

"We certainly won't be four of the biggest halfbacks," Hammington laughed.