Mauger hopes to have Nehe ready to go next month
Nehe Milner-skudder could make his Highlanders debut as early as next month and head coach Aaron Mauger has revealed the former Hurricane has indicated a preference to play at fullback.
‘‘He’s going through a graduated return to contact at the moment,’’ Mauger said yesterday. ‘‘It’s pretty light. ‘‘There’s a bit of gentle shoulder on at the moment, but we’ll look to build that up over the next three or four weeks and we’ll hopefully have him ready for those early rounds [of Super Rugby Aotearoa].’’
Milner-skudder has not played since the All Blacks’ win against Japan in November, 2018, and the Highlanders will clearly not want to rush a player who has been dogged by shoulder issues since 2016.
Nonetheless, Milner-skudder’s signing has created a buzz in
Dunedin and the thought of him playing a significant part in the new Super Rugby Aotearoa competition is good news for a franchise that struggled in the early part of the year.
The Highlanders open their campaign with a home game against the Chiefs on Sunday,
June 14, and then have their first bye before travelling to Auckland to play the Blues on June 27.
It also appears the 29-year-old is a contender for the Highlanders No 15 jersey as much as the right wing role he nailed for the All Blacks.
‘‘We see Nehe with the ability to play both right wing and fullback,’’ Mauger said. ‘‘He plays both equally as well.
‘‘His preference is to play fullback. He likes the No 15 jersey but obviously at the higher level he spent a lot of that time on the right wing.’’
Milner-skudder’s aim of playing fullback could shed some light on why he turned down an option to stay at the Hurricanes, where Jordie Barrett has been in brilliant form in the fullback position.
Conversely, the Highlanders are still searching for a genuine successor to Ben Smith, whose experience at the back has been missed as much as his talent.
But Mauger said there were no guarantees for Milner-skudder, particularly with exciting newcomer Vilimoni Koroi already putting his hand up at training.
‘‘There’s competition there,’’ Mauger said. ‘‘We’ve got Josh Mckay and Michael Collins. Vili Koroi has come into our side as well so nothing’s given and there are no guarantees.
‘‘Nehe’s here and if he is going to play he’ll have to earn that opportunity through proving that fitness and also proving his form once he gets up and running.
‘‘It’s created a lot of excitement for us having both Nehe and Vili.
‘‘They’re both pretty special athletes and have got some X-factor.’’
Mauger also praised MilnerSkudder’s understated leadership qualities and said his professionalism and ‘‘good habits’’ would help Koroi and the other younger members of the Highlanders squad.
‘‘Now that Nehe’s here what a great guy to pick his brains and absorb some of that knowledge,’’ Mauger said.
‘‘But Vili is his own man as well. He’s tough, and he’s a competitor.
‘‘We’ve seen it in the Sevens circuit, where he’s often that last line of defence making big tackle putting his body in the line.
‘‘That’s what we want to see here.’’