By Hamish McKay
After multiple shoulder reconstructions and another six months of rehab Richard Kahui is a staking his claim for an All Black recall.
“I feel like I can go into tackles a lot harder, although my accuracy needs work. No point in flying in and trying hurt everyone if you're gonna miss too many tackles,” he says.
It's widely known the All Black selectors regard Kahui as a player who is completely unfazed by the huge step-up to test rugby.
“This is the time of the year you need to play some good football and the next five weeks are really important for me and a lot of guys here in the team,” he says.
One of those team-mates is Sitiveni Sivivatu, who like Kahui is only too aware of the hype surrounding some of the new kids on the block.
“You know I'm excited about the challenge and I'm confident about myself,” he says.
After dropping more than five kilo's, Sivivatu has good reason to feel confident after a sluggish start to the season.
“I don't know if he picked up a bug in South Africa or what it is, but he's coming back thinner and he's looking sharp.
“I think he's got a lot more to offer this team and a lot more to offer the All Blacks,” Kahui says of his team-mate.
The acid is now on Kahui and Sivivatu to help the Chiefs follow the Crusaders and knock over the Stormers.
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