Former All Blacks fullback Mils Muliaina, in surveying the upcoming Super Rugby season from Japan recently, must have looked at the Chiefs' riches at outside back and thought his would be a gradual return to the game here.
Instead, injuries have ruled out Robbie Robinson and Tom Marshall, and Muliaina, who has had to nurse a couple of niggles on his return, has been named at No15 for the Chiefs against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday.
For assistant coach Wayne Smith it is a godsend to be able to select a player with Muliaina's experience.
"With our injury situation, we're down on numbers, so to get someone back like Mils, who is a Chief through and through with huge experience, 100 test matches behind him, it's been pretty crucial for us coming into this game," Smith said. "He's going to make a difference I think to what is a pretty young backline.
"Obviously not everything is going to be 100 per cent in terms of the structures. You can't clutter these guys too much, but he's an experienced campaigner. I've been through the essentials in defence with him so he knows what's needed there. And Dave [Rennie] has done the same in attack. We're not expecting miracles from him, we just want him to do the job he's done for so many years. If he does that then hopefully we'll get off to a pretty good start."
Muliaina, a former Chiefs player who played for the Docomo Red Hurricanes after the 2011 World Cup, is used to playing the Crusaders but one of his backline colleagues, Robbie Fruean, isn't.
Named at centre to play against his former team following another heart operation, Smith is expecting big things from his blockbusting midfielder.
"Hopefully he's fired up. It's been an amazing summer for Robbie with his valve replacement and doing PBs in his fitness tests. He's feeling pretty good about himself. He's just got to unleash it all."
Crusaders' coach Todd Blackadder has sprung several surprises with former All Blacks' wing Zac Guildford, who is leaving for France at the end of the year, failing to make the squad. Blackadder has selected Nafi Tuitavake, a wider training squad player yet to play Super Rugby, on one wing with Johnny McNicoll on the other.
Tim Perry, who played for the Blues last season, will start at loosehead prop, with Wyatt Crockett on the reserves bench.
All Black Tom Taylor is also in the reserves, with Tyler Bleyendaal preferred at No10. Ryan Crotty and Reynold Lee-Lo, who played for the Hurricanes last year, make up the midfield.
Chiefs team to play Crusaders at AMI Stadium on Friday, kick-off 7.35pm is: Mils Muliaina, Tim Nanai-Williams, Robbie Fruean, Charlie Ngatai, Aseali Tikoirotuma, Aaron Cruden (c), Augustine Pulu, Kane Thompson, Tevita Koloamatangi, Liam Messam, Brodie Retallick, Michael Fitzgerald, Ben Tameifuna, Rhys Marshall, Jamie Mackintosh. Reserves: Nathan Harris, Pauliasi Manu, Ben Afeaki, Matt Symons/Liam Squire, Nick Crosswell, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Andrew Horrell/Lienert-Brown, James Lowe.
Crusaders: Israel Dagg, Johnny McNicholl, Reynold Lee-Lo, Ryan Crotty, Nafi Tuitavake, Tyler Bleyendaal, Andy Ellis, Luke Whitelock, Richie McCaw (c), George Whitelock, Dominic Bird, Sam Whitelock, Owen Franks, Corey Flynn, Tim Perry. Reserves: Ben Funnell, Wyatt Crockett, Nepo Laulala, Luke Romano, Matt Todd, Willi Heinz, Tom Taylor, Rob Thompson.
