Sivivatu ready and eager and that means trouble

Not that they needed any reminding, but Sitiveni Sivivatu showed the Chiefs faithful what they had been missing against the Sharks at the weekend.

It wasn't just that the 22-year-old Fijian flyer scored a brace of tries in the Chiefs' 40-point duffing of the toothless Sharks. Every time he got the ball he threatened either to do something spectacular himself or to create something for his team.

Sivivatu's ability to sum up situations quickly and do something to hurt the defensive line hinted that he was regaining his stellar mid-year form of last season.

He returned from shoulder surgery against the Hurricanes a fortnight ago, forming an exciting back three with Sosene Anesi and Sailosi Tagicakibau, and it hasn't taken long for the electrifying element about his game to show itself.

"The layoff was really frustrating. But I've learnt to keep patient and just work, have a good rehab and get back on the field," he said.

He estimates another four weeks' rugby should have him back about where he was last year. The unfortunate part is that in his absence the Chiefs have been among the strugglers and will need a remarkable run to get near the semifinals.

"He was always going to make a big difference," Chiefs coach Ian Foster said. "He's a phenomenal player and it was always important to do our best in the first five rounds because we had an international-class outside back who wasn't available."

It was no surprise to Foster that Sivivatu hit the ground running when he did return.

"He's been a real spark for us. It's a credit to the way he's come back not only from injury but also firing bullets from the start," Foster added.

Last year Sivivatu had an impressive Super 12, scored tries against the All Blacks and Australia for the Pacific Islanders and put five on Auckland in Waikato's 59-11 dumping during the NPC before the shoulder blew.

Now he's eager to make up for lost time. And that smile is back on his face as he does what he enjoys most. "The game is about enjoying yourself," he said. "If you are a serious guy out there it makes it hard. If you enjoy what you're doing it makes everything easier. That's the way I look at it."

He's softly-spoken but packs a punch on the park. "The guys love having him around. He's a real leader in that backline, contributes a lot with his ideas. He's a major piece of our jigsaw," Foster said.

And what about the All Blacks? A shrug, then: "The first thing is to play well for the Chiefs. If I get picked or not, that's up to them [national selectors]."

If he's true to his word and razor sharp in a month's time, at the very least he'll give Graham Henry and Co plenty to ponder.