Chiefs short of locks for trans-Tasman opener

Fresh off the disappointment of their Super Rugby Aotearoa final defeat, the Chiefs are facing a locking crisis for their transTasman opener against the Force in Perth on Saturday night.

Coach Clayton McMillan said yesterday they would have to dig deep into, and, really, beyond, their second-row reserves, with both Mitchell Brown and Naitoa Ah Kuoi to miss the trip to Western Australia.

Brown, who had started the decider in Christchurch before being replaced at halftime, had picked up an ankle sprain, McMillan said, while his replacement, Ah Kuoi, is another who hasn’t pulled up well enough from the 24-13 loss.

‘‘He’s just dinged up, he’s got bruises and cuts all over himself, so in his own best interests, we thought we’d just leave him behind,’’ McMillan said of the 22-year-old.

‘‘It’s a long campaign. Our locks in particular have shouldered a heavy load. I just don’t think, with the travel and the short turnaround, that we needed to go down that track this early in the TransTasman competition.’’

The Chiefs have been operating without All Blacks star Brodie

Retallick, whose Japan side Kobe lost their Top League quarterfinal last weekend but who won’t arrive and quarantine in time to play any part in the trans-Tasman campaign, while uncapped Laghlan McWhannell (knee) has been sidelined for a third straight season.

Last year’s All Black debutant Tupou Vaa’i and Super Rugby rookie Josh Lord are the only fit locks, then, in the Chiefs’ squad, with pre-season injury replacement Samipeni Finau – generally a loose forward but who has also filled in in the second row – still another week away with his shoulder injury.

That means Bay of Plenty and Tonga loose forward Zane Kapeli’s sudden rise is set to continue, having come from nowhere to be a standout in the Chiefs’ ‘B’ side against the Blues a fortnight back, including an hour at lock.