Surgery to sideline Kahui... again
All Black Richard Kahui's run of back luck is set to keep him on the sidelines for the rest of the 2012 season.
It was confirmed on Sunday that the Chiefs' star midfielder requires surgery to the latest shoulder injury that has disrupted his promising career.
Kahui dislocated his shoulder while playing for the Chiefs against Reds in a Super Rugby match in May, putting him out of the just-completed Test series against Ireland.
He had hoped to play again this year, but All Black coach Steve Hansen told the New Zealand media on Sunday that the injury would require surgery.
"He's now going to have surgery, and that could be six months before he's back playing, so we won't see him until next year's Super 15," Hansen told NZ Newswire.
"It's a real shame for him, because he was playing outstandingly good rugby."
It follows a damaged left shoulder in 2009, a fracture in his right shoulder in 2010 and an operation to fix rotator cuff and cartilage damage.
"It's not the first time it's happened, that's the problem, but at the same time having done it and gone through it before he knows there's light at the end of the tunnel," Hansen told NZ Newswire.
"Though it's devastating on one hand, on the other hand he's had the experience of going through it and we'll manage him well in conjunction with the Chiefs and get him back as soon as we can."
Assistant coach Ian Foster believed Kahui was capable of overcoming the latest setback and returning for the Chiefs and the All Blacks.
"It's going to require a big commitment from him, particularly to mentally go through that process again," he said.
"I think he's certainly capable of it, he's shown that."
In 2008 Kahui was named as a member of the All Black squad for the mid-year Tests and made his Test debut as an outside centre – scoring a try in New Zealand's 44-12 victory over England.
He has shown his versatility by playing on the wing in the All Blacks' 2009 Bledisloe Cup victory over Australia.
Unfortunately, a six-month shoulder injury he incurred at the end of his 2009 Super 14 season with the Chiefs, prevented him from playing in the All Black side later in the year.
In 2010, Kahui returned to the All Blacks and was dynamic in the second Test against Wales in Dunedin, where he scored a try playing on the wing. The following week against South Africa, he was named as a reserve and came onto Eden Park in the second half also on the wing again.
At the 2011 Rugby World Cup he scored two tries in the tournament's opening game against Tonga, and another two against Japan.
