Piri Weepu returned to the Hurricanes' starting lineup today but did little to dampen speculation it could be his Super 14 rugby farewell to Wellington on Friday.
In-form flanker Victor Vito was a late scratching after suffering a calf strain at training today, which saw Michael Paterson shifted to No 6 and lock Jeremy Thrush promoted, while prop Jacob Ellison replaced John Schwalger. Concussed All Blacks centre Conrad Smith ran at training but needs to pass psychometric tests before being confirmed.
Emotion will be high at Westpac Stadium, with No 8 Rodney So'oialo playing his 100th match and Tamati Ellison farewelling the home crowd before taking up a Japan contract.
And, after a bumpy season, Weepu admitted his immediate future remained unclear as lucrative overseas offers swirl.
"I don't know. It might be (my last home game), it might not be. I'll be going out there to try and enjoy myself and have a lot of fun with the boys and enjoy the occasion, especially for Rodney," Weepu said.
"Everyone's coming to the stage in their careers where they've got to make big decisions. A few of the boys have already made that decision so it's just wait and see how it goes, really."
Weepu, 26, played six tests last year, all off the bench, but this season the Blues' Alby Mathewson and the Crusaders' Kahn Fotuali'i moved up the pecking order while Keats was preferred for the Hurricanes.
Weepu recently admitted to an offer from a French club, and said he wanted clarity from the All Blacks selectors about his test hopes.
"We've sat down and had meetings and they've asked me how things have been going. I can't share too much information because you guys might leak it and I don't want it to get leaked just yet.
"They've talked to me about how the game's changed and how attacking players like Will Genia and myself and every other No 9 can threaten the defensive line.
"I guess everyone's got that burning desire to wear the black jersey. That's a big goal but at the moment I've just got to take it week by week."
He said the next fortnight, with the Waratahs looming in Sydney next weekend, was less about proving himself to the All Blacks selectors and more about doing the job for his team who chase four consecutive wins and a playoff spot.
"Most of us, when we're not playing Super 14, we like to play a bit of club rugby and get some game time under our belts. I guess these last couple of weeks have been tough but I'm pretty fresh and raring to go. Hopefully I don't blow out in the first five minutes of the game.
"It's a big occasion this weekend; the buzz is pretty high here at training and the boys are really excited. It's good coming into the starting lineup and feeling that energy."
Weepu was impressed by his opposite number Genia's form: "He's creating a lot of havoc for teams on defence... we've got to make sure we shut down his options."
Coach Colin Cooper said Keats had done nothing wrong, and Weepu's recall was partly due to his goalkicking prowess to take the heat off pivot Aaron Cruden.
Cooper hoped Vito would only be sidelined for one match, while a call on Smith -- who felt more confident of playing after today's training -- would be made tomorrow.
"If there's a slight hesitation there, we'll just rule him out. I've really left it up to him or the doctor."
