McKenzie back with new outlook

Anew season, and a new perspective on rugby for Damian McKenzie. After a false start last week, the Chiefs and All Blacks star will tonight make his return to Super Rugby, equipped with not only a stronger leg but also a stronger mind, following his serious knee injury.

The dynamic playmaker ruptured his right ACL against the Blues in Hamilton last April – a blow which tore up dreams of a maiden World Cup appearance, and which was his first real injury of note in a burgeoning career.

Sometimes described as ‘a flea in a bottle’ such is his electric speed and spark around the park, McKenzie was anything but in a nine-month layoff.

Watching from the sidelines does not fit this guy’s make-up, however, the 24-year-old acknowledged the enforced break did give at least him a chance to take a step back and inhale a new appreciation of what he had temporarily lost.

‘‘It’s really put a perspective on how quickly rugby can be taken away from you,’’ McKenzie said.

‘‘I’ve been pretty fortunate that I haven’t had too many injuries in the past. This one, where I had to sit back and watch from the couch, it was pretty tough.’’

Adding to the new outlook on the game was McKenzie’s role as a television analyst during the World Cup, where he could eye up the game from a critical angle, but which also tested the concentration levels of a man far more at home in the thick of the action.

‘‘Probably the hardest thing was actually having to concentrate on the game for 80 minutes,’’ he said.

‘‘Usually when I’m at home I’ll watch the game but I’ll sort of drift off, or you might change the channel every now and then. I really enjoyed it, it puts it in a different perspective watching it.’’

Now, the watching is done and the time has arrived for McKenzie to get back to his real workplace, if not a week later than planned.

After 20 minutes in the preseason match against the Blues in Waihi then an inter-squad hitout, he was set to start at fullback in the season opener against the Blues in Auckland last Friday, only to be a scratching on game eve due to a groin niggle.

Take two, then, with McKenzie’s return to instead come in an even more intenselooking matchup, against the Crusaders at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton.

‘‘I’m just excited, it’s been a while since I’ve played. It was a tough journey, particularly at the start of my rehab, to get back. Once the boys were back in training, to be able to train as a team was great,’’ said McKenzie, who has put on ‘‘a few kilos’’, hoping to be stronger, but also faster, than he was before the injury.

He has already been impressing at Chiefs HQ, with captain Sam Cane noting the energy he brought to the training paddock, and that it was easy to forget how long he’d been out of the game such were the things he was doing that you were used to seeing from him.

Back in the bright lights, it will be an immediate big test. The Crusaders bring arguably the competition’s best back three to town, in All Blacks wingers George Bridge and Sevu Reece, combined with the very promising Will Jordan; but McKenzie will link with Solomon Alaimalo and Sean Wainui in a trio that won’t need many second invitations to attack either.

‘‘Myself, Soly and Sean, we’ve played a lot of rugby together, so to keep building that relationship and that connection has been great so far.

‘‘Obviously there’s a lot of depth in the back three this year, everyone’s fighting for a position, so it’s keeping us nice and honest. But we’re pretty excited to get out there and play rugby, throw the ball around and just enjoy ourselves.’’