Rugby: Filo to fill in for wounded Williams

Filo Paulo to replace injured Ali Williams. Photo / Getty Images

The Blues will turn to little-known North Harbour lock Filo Paulo to replace the injured Ali Williams for the start of the Super 14 season.

Williams' ruptured the same Achilles tendon that kept him out of rugby for most of 2009 in the early minutes of the Blues' 31-21 pre-season win over the Chiefs on Friday night.

He will have surgery, probably tomorrow, and be out for between six and 12 months.

It was a cruel blow for a player who had worked hard to restore his fitness over the summer - and Williams was said to be devastated yesterday as he contemplated another setback.

It was also a blow for Blues coach Pat Lam, who had to contend with a locking crisis last season, when he lost Williams and Anthony Boric, and pressure is already being applied to his second-row stocks.

A lot will rest on Boric's shoulders this season but the 13-test All Black is returning from his own injury problems (foot) and may not be fit for the Super 14 opener against the Hurricanes on February 12.

"It's doubtful Anthony will play [against the Crusaders in Motueka on Thursday] but he has come back fit [from last season]," Lam said. "He just picked up a niggle in the first game and aggravated it in training.

"We want to make sure he's 100 per cent before we get into it. We're hopeful he might be right for round one."

That puts the focus on Kurtis Haiu, who has not beenconvincing at Super 14 level, and Paulo.

James King was the original back-up in the Blues wider training squad but he is facing surgery on an injured shoulder and is out for the year.

Auckland lock Andrew van der Heijden signed as a late replacement for King and seems to be ahead of Paulo in the pecking order but picked up a hip flexor problem last weekend. He also got married yesterday and will miss the start of the Super 14 because he will be overseas on his honeymoon.

Loose forward Chris Lowrey can also play lock, where he was called into action a handful of times last season, but he contracted viral meningitis recently and is also coping with the death of his mother.

"A lot will fall back on Kurtis and Anthony to help Filo," Lam said. "We just need Anthony to get back to full fitness as soon as possible.

"Injuries are just part of the game, unfortunately, and you have to prepare for it as best you can. We certainly got used to it last year when we had a horrific injury toll."

Paulo played his first season of Air New Zealand Cup last year for North Harbour after a stint with Ulster in Ireland. The 22-year-old certainly comes with some bulk, standing 198cm and weighing 114kg.

"He's only a young boy," Lam said, "but he's very good. He has good size, is very physical and has earned a lot of respect [within the squad]. He is a good lineout forward.

"Obviously the big difference with Ali is his experience and that is hard to replace. Ali is a massive loss for us and had been excellent on and off the field in terms of his leadership. But we are really pleased with Filo's attitude and he will do well with the guys around him."

In other pre-season games, the Highlanders beat a Suva President's XV 35-17 in Fiji yesterday, the Crusaders went down to the Reds 20-12 in Brisbane on Friday night, while the Hurricanes beat the Brumbies 26-5.