Kaino heads powerful loose trio

AUCKLAND has named a powerful loose forward trio for its match against Otago tomorrow night.

All Black Jerome Kaino has been named at No 8 while Akira Ioane comes into the side on the blindside flank.

Auckland coach Nick White said it was not a big decision to leave Kaino at the back of the scrum as he was effective there while Ioane could slot in well at blindside flanker.

Blake Gibson will complete the loose forward trio although he is bracketed with Sinclair DominikovichMurray as Gibson is getting over a couple of niggles.

Kaino and Auckland captain Patrick Tuipulotu will return to Auckland on Friday morning to join the All Black squad to travel to Argentina.

Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa returns to the starting lineup at centre in his farewell to a ground he has graced for the past four years.

Auckland had been struggling in the Mitre 10 Cup but managed its second win of the season last Friday night in beating Southland 2717 in Invercargill.

Otago will name its team later today after it checks on the damage resulting from its rugged encounter against Tasman last Saturday.

Lock Josh Dickson and loose forward Dillon Hunt both picked up head knocks on Saturday — Dickson in the warmup — while Hunt left the field in the first half after making an awkward tackle.

The match is the first of three in 11 days for Otago in a period that will have a large impact on how it progresses this season.

The match is for the Lin Colling Memorial Trophy, named after the late All Black halfback who played for both provinces.

Auckland holds the trophy after it had a commanding 5417 win at Eden Park last year.