Rugby: Musical chairs as Chiefs beset by injuries

The air space over Australia was yesterday thick with burly Chiefs flying to and from New Zealand.

The Hamilton-based franchise were forced to bring home four players that toured South Africa in rounds one and two of the Super 14, them doing little more than touching down in Western Australia before catching an adjoining flight home.

Sione Lauaki will get a two-week rest after his spear tackle and judicial stand down, while Sitiveni Sivivatu and Craig Clarke picked up injuries in the helter-skelter victory against the Lions in Johannesburg.

Prop James McGougan is also winging his way back. He aggravated his back in warm-ups before the opening match against the Sharks and it has not settled sufficiently for him to play any part in the campaign.

Three players will be crossing paths while flying west, Lelia Masaga, Toby Lynn and Toby Smith.

Masaga's return will be keenly anticipated. He came through more than an hour's work for the Chiefs' development team in the weekend, his rehabilitation from last year's shoulder surgery seemingly complete.

He will be a straight swap for Sivivatu, whose troublesome shoulders continue to give him grief. He left the field in the second half of the try-fest against the Lions where he looked typically dangerous from broken play.

While he has had surgery on both shoulders, the initial diagnosis is a strain that should see him fit to return for the round five clash against the Crusaders in Hamilton.

The rugged Lynn could walk straight into the starting XV in place of the Clarke, who will miss three to six weeks with a groin injury.

The anti-inflammatories will be bitter pills for Clarke to swallow, having a proud record of having not missed a Super rugby match in the past two seasons with the Hurricanes and Chiefs.

Toby Smith, for the Chiefs wider training group, will come in as prop cover for Sona Taumalolo, Nathan White and Ben Afeaki.

The unbeaten Chiefs play the winless Western Force in Perth this weekend.