New Zealand Rugby
All Blacks dealt Sivivatu blow
Scrum.com
April 29, 2010
Chiefs wing Sitiveni Sivivatu makes a mess of the Cheetahs defence, Chiefs v Cheetahs, Super 14, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand, April 23, 2010
Sitiveni Sivivatu is looking at six months out © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Sitiveni Sivivatu
Tournaments/Tours: Tri Nations | Super 14
Teams: Chiefs | New Zealand

The All Blacks have been dealt a blow prior to their Tri-Nations campaign with the news that Chiefs wing Sitiveni Sivivatu will be out for six months after undergoing shoulder surgery.

The 28-year-old, capped 43 times by New Zealand, will undergo a procedure in three weeks to stabilise a recurrent dislocating shoulder, the second time he has undergone this type of surgery.

He will miss the remainder of the Chiefs' Super 14 campaign as well as Tests against Wales and the Tri-Nations, which begins with a showdown against the champion Springboks in Auckland on July 10.

"While it is disappointing, I'm pretty relaxed about the whole situation. It is just one of those things that happen and I need to just concentrate on recovering well after the surgery," he said.

Chiefs coach Ian Foster confirmed that while there would be no set timeframe for a recovery until the surgery, Sivivatu is unlikely to play again in 2010.

"We will obviously get a definitive number once they go in and do the operation," he said. "But I would say that's basically him for 2010. The fact that it's [the shoulder popping out] continued to happen really has made the decision pretty clear and obvious."

© Scrum.com

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