If there's a silver lining to the Chiefs' injury woes, coach Colin Cooper has found it in the competition among the players in his squad.
The Hamilton-based club has had to call on a host of players to take on bigger roles with the team in the absence of regulargame-day selections, and those who have been given the chance have taken it.
"It's creating that competition and making sure everyone enjoys the moment when they come into the Chiefs environment and that they are noticed," Cooper said. "Then when they have to go away, they are taking something from here and want to come back."
Lock Tyler Ardron was a great example of this in the side's big win over the Sunwolves at the weekend, putting on a dominant display in his first Super Rugby start.
"He had a great training week and deserved his start, and look what he did – he put his hand up and made the most of that."
Lock Tyler Ardron was immense for the Chiefs in their clash against the Sunwolves. Photo / Getty Images.
And Ardron has the opportunity to work his way into a regular spot in the Chiefs squad for the remainder of the season, with Cooper confirming first-choice lock Dominic Bird would join Mitchell Brown (ACL injury) on the sidelines for the remainder of the season – electing to have surgery to repair an injured shoulder.
"Our lock situation is still a concern at the moment," Cooper admitted.
However, heading into the match against the Highlanders in Hamilton on Friday night, the backline looked set for some of the regulars to return. While Cooper didn't confirm anyone would return for the clash, he said fullback Charlie Ngatai and midfielder Alex Nankivell were close to making their Super rugby returns.
The Chiefs came away from their match against the Sunwolves without picking up any further injuries, which was important ahead of this weekend's clash.
"It's a bonus when we don't have an injury now. It's like a bonus point, isn't it?"
The Highlanders have shown this season that their primary point of attack is to run the football and try to run their opponents of the park. On the defensive end, their kicking game has been well utilised.
"The Kiwis teams are very similar," Cooper said. "We have to be aware of the attack they're going to bring.
"We're playing them at home, we're high in confidence, we've got some players maybe coming back so there are no excuses."
