Chiefs pick Kaylum ahead of Lachlan
The Chiefs have handed their vacant No 7 jersey to a Boshier . . . just not Lachlan, for tomorrow night’s Super Rugby Aotearoa match against the Highlanders in Dunedin.
Forced to operate the rest of the season without injured co-captain Sam Cane, yesterday afternoon’s team announcement threw up a surprise selection, with Kaylum Boshier named at openside flanker, ahead of his fit-again older brother.
Instead, Lachlan won’t even come off the bench at Forsyth Barr Stadium, but will instead make his comeback from a foot injury suffered in pre-season by turning out for New Plymouth Old Boys against Southern in the Taranaki club competition tomorrow.
Assistant coach Neil Barnes had on Tuesday said openside options Lachlan and Mitchell Karpik were both available, though in the end the latter was ruled out with illness and it was felt the former should ease his way back to action.
‘‘He’s good to go, but we just felt this week under the roof it would have been a tough ask to go out there without any minutes under his belt since 30 minutes preseason,’’ coach Clayton Mcmillan said. Luke Jacobson had loomed a likely openside fill-in, having plenty of experience there, but will instead remain at the back of the scrum to try and ensure the least disruption possible, Mcmillan having noted he was ‘‘just a big believer in cohesion’’.
It will mark a first Super Rugby start for Kaylum, who turns 22 on Friday, having debuted off the bench in the round-three clash against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
The 1.89m, 109kg former New Zealand Under-20 rep, and former NZ Under-19 cricket captain, debuted for Taranaki in 2018 and even Mcmillan admitted he’s ‘‘not a traditional seven, he’s really an eight’’.
‘‘But we feel he can do a job for us there,’’ he said.
The big wraps on Boshier’s work ethic were echoed by Mitchell Brown, who will line up in his 50th Chiefs match beside him at No 6, and who has captained him at provincial level the last two years.
‘‘He works harder than anyone here at the Chiefs, he’s probably the first in and last to leave, he’s always doing work-ons, so he deserves a crack, and I think he’ll go bloody well,’’ Brown said.
‘‘He’s just going to play his own game. He’s probably not going to get over as many balls as Lachie, but he’ll bring his own spin to it and be physical and add a lot in other areas.’’
While the younger Boshier is likely to get some pointers from older bro, who he also lives with, a good performance could make for an interesting sibling rivalry next week.
‘‘If he does really well, then our selection policies will state that he should be given another opportunity and Lachie will have to force his way in through the bench or through some other means,’’ Mcmillan said.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs will also be without backs Sean Wainui (ankle) and Chase Tiatia (illness) for this weekend, but do welcome back lock Tupou Vaa’i and wings Etene Nanai-seturo and Jonah Lowe after they missed the win over the Blues before last weekend’s bye.