‘Irritation’ for To’omaga-Allen

A knee ‘‘irritation’’ has put paid to Jeff To’omaga-Allen’s immediate playing future.

The Wellington tighthead prop suffered the problem while warming up for Saturday’s Mitre 10 Cup clash with Canterbury in Christchurch. He went on to play 78 minutes but will now be sidelined for an indefinite period.

‘‘He’s carrying a wee knee injury at the moment. The extent of that is hopefully nothing too major but at the moment he’s not going to be ready [to play],’’ Wellington coach Chris Gibbes said.

To’omaga-Allen, 27, has one test cap for New Zealand, won against Japan in 2013. But he was a fixture in the squad last season and appeared in the non-test matches against the Barbarians and a France XV.

Wellington will now play Southland at Westpac Stadium tonight without To’omaga-Allen as their scrummaging cornerstone. He’s a big loss, but the team is boosted by the inclusion of All Blacks stars TJ Perenara and Ardie Savea.

Halfback Perenara, in particular, is a huge addition and his famed communication skills and competitiveness could do wonders for the confidence of the young players around him.

‘‘That’s good. I’ll let him be and do his own thing and if he wants to talk, let him talk. Just let him play his game, that’s what he’s best at,’’ Wellington captain Matt Proctor said.

Perenara appears primed to start for New Zealand in Nelson, while Savea is surely in contention to do the same. Incumbent halfback Aaron Smith made way for Perenara the last time the All Blacks hosted Argentina and could do with a spell after big performances against Australia.

Savea started last September’s home test against the Pumas too, before dropping behind Matt Todd in the pecking order. But with Todd on a short-term contract in Japan, and first-choice openside flanker Sam Cane recovering from a head knock suffered against the Wallabies last Saturday, Savea stands a good chance of getting the No 7 jersey again this time.

Savea is about as relentless on the pitch as Perenara is, so it will be interesting to see how blindside flanker Vaea Fifita looks in comparison to his Hurricanes team-mates. Left out of the All Blacks’ Rugby Championship squad, Fifita has been working hard to prove he belongs back at test level.