Rugby: Prospects bright spot as casualty list grows

Ian Foster will have one eye on development as the Chiefs round out their Super 14 campaign over the next four weeks.

If anything, though, he's already been doing that because of a horrific injury list.

At least one more name is expected to be added to that list, as first five-eighths Mike Delany faces time out with a shoulder injury. He had X-rays yesterday, as did Richard Kahui, but Kahui's knock isn't thought to be serious.

It is just another frustration for the Chiefs. The biggest disappointment, however, is that they all but waved their playoffs chances goodbye on Friday night, when they were torn apart 49-15 by a very good Stormers outfit.

Although no one within the camp is yet willing to throw in the towel, they need to take maximum points from their four remaining games and hope others slip up. To put that into some sort of context, the Chiefs have won just one of their last six and that was against a disappointing Highlanders side.

"We aren't dead and buried yet so we have to keep chugging along," Foster said. "We have four games to go and we are a pretty proud unit. We are coming off a game where we were well beaten so, firstly, it's important we regroup and get back to where we should be.

"We also have to make sure we are taking steps in the development of the franchise not only over the next four weeks but also the next 12 months," Foster said.

"If there's one positive at the moment, it's the sheer number of players we have had to play recently. The experience they are gaining is something they have to make sure they use in the future. For example, the two young props [Ben Afeaki and Toby Smith] have to really learn from this experience and understand the levels required to play Super rugby."

Although many will point to the absence of All Blacks Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu as crucial to the Chiefs' fortunes, and they have been, of greater importance has been the injuries in the tight five.

Last season, Aled de Malmanche, James McGougan, Ben May, Kevin O'Neill and Craig Clarke formed an effective tight five which achieved at least parity with most packs, particularly in the second half of the campaign.

But May was out before the season started because of a knee injury, McGougan hasn't played, O'Neill has played half a game and de Malmanche has been missing for five weeks and is still a couple of weeks away.

That's massive amount of pressure on younger players like Afeaki, Smith, Culum Retallick and Hika Elliott, and they haven't coped against other packs which have been able to bully them. On top of that, senior players like Sione Lauaki, Kahui and Brendon Leonard have struggled with their form.

"We have had one of those years where the majority of our experienced tight five have been out, as well as the likes of Mils and Siti," Foster said. "We have lost a lot of experience and on-field leadership."It's been a learning curve for everyone trying to deal with that. Is it an excuse? No, it's not, because we want to be playing better rugby than we are, but it's certainly been a factor that has made it hard to get that consistency that we are so desperate for.

"We have had a disruptive flow of injuries throughout this campaign which has been immensely frustrating. We have struggled to build our game to the extent we did last year. The constant need to change combinations has meant we haven't really had our attacking or defensive game as settled as I would have liked.

"Unfortunately the last four or five weeks we have come up against teams who have played a very physical game against us and exposed some of those combinations and we have struggled it a bit."

McGougan played club rugby yesterday and it's hoped he, O'Neill and Sivivatu will all be available on Friday when they host the Cheetahs.