Sonny Bill Williams is unlikely to play for the Blues against the Waratahs on Saturday due to a knee injury, but, in a twist on the confusing All Blacks-enforced rest saga, Rieko Ioane will.
Williams, who made a big impact when replacing Ma'a Nonu in the second half of theBlues 24-9 victory over the Stormers at Eden Park, injured his problematic knee late in the match and was not at training today.
It is a blow for Williams, who until now has been far more durable than he was last year when near constant injuries limited his appearances to only six Super Rugby matches in total.
This year, after missing the round one loss to the Crusaders due to a shoulder injury suffered last year, he has played five out of his team's seven matches. He was given compassionate leave to travel to Christchurch for the other, which will count as an All Black rest week.
It means Ma'a Nonu is likely to remain in the No12 jersey at Eden Park against the Waratahs, who will be hoping to respond to a shock loss against the Sunwolves in Newcastle. The Blues will be attempting to win their fourth match in a row. They won four in total last season.
And, despite head coach Leon MacDonald last week saying that the in-form Ioane, who has seven tries in three matches, would probably miss the match as part of his rest protocol ahead of the World Cup, the 22-year-old's presence at training today suggests he will be wearing the No11 jersey.
Sonny Bill Williams. Photo / www.photosport.nz
In what is an increasingly opaque state of affairs agreed on last year by the all Blacks coaches, New Zealand Rugby and the Kiwi Super Rugby coaches, no top All Blacks are permitted to play more than six matches in a row. Originally it was said to be five matches.
But while MacDonald joked after the win over the Highlanders that he might organise an extra game for Ioane to miss over the next couple of weeks, and saying last week before the Stormers victory that he would rest this week, it appears that's not the case after all.
"He's going to have to rest the following week, yeah," MacDonald said last week. "His five games are up. We just felt this was a good game to back up a good performance at the weekend, we felt the consistency of performance was critical and he's obviously a big part of that.
"We can choose which game to rest him in, but it's coming up soon. We're not sure if it's the next or the following one, it depends on results and form and injuries."
The Blues' bye in round four adds an extra layer of confusion as the byes apparently re-set the All Blacks' games back to zero. The All Blacks must have two games off this Super Rugby season, not counting the two byes.
It seems strange then that prop Karl Tu'inukuafe has been forced to sit out this week as part of the rest protocol.
Tu'inukuafe, who was apparently eager to continue, has played six games at an average of 39 minutes each. The front rower has started only two matches. Ioane has started all six and has played an average of 71 minutes each game.
Mike Anthony, NZ Rugby's high performance manager, has attempted to explain the protocols to the media recently, but such is the secrecy around team selections that the whole thing has become, in the words of Winston Churchill, a "riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma".
The four-week suspension to wing Tanielu Tele'a for his dangerous tackle against the Stormers, and Williams' injury, may have played a part in the thinking of MacDonald, who will speak to the media on Thursday.
Wings Matt Duffie and Caleb Clarke are available again to play their first competition games of the season following injury, but both would probably struggle to go the distance due to a lack of match fitness.
