Lauaki set to make an impact

All Blacks coach Graham Henry has hinted at throwing benched Chiefs enforcer Sione Lauaki at England during the course of the Test match at Eden Park on Saturday

All Blacks coach Graham Henry has hinted at throwing benched Chiefs enforcer Sione Lauaki at England during the course of the Test match against the World Cup finalists at Eden Park on Saturday.

Lauaki makes his return to the New Zealand side for the first time since the World Cup pool match romp over Romania when the All Blacks open their two-Test series with an England side spearheaded by Andy Sheridan.

The bullocking Waikato and Chiefs number eight is the only change to the All Blacks' bench from the side that defeated Ireland 21-11 in Wellington last weekend.

Jerome Kaino, who made a solid return from a two-year exile against the Irish in unhelpful conditions, retains his place at the back of the scrum leaving Lauaki to be injected off the bench and possibly slot in on the blindside.

Lauaki's greater physical presence sees him replace the newly capped Adam Thomson for what is expected to be a torrid encounter with the World Cup runners-up.

The 27-year-old has recovered from a hamstring strain sustained late in the Chiefs Super 14 season, a campaign Lauaki gradually warmed to after returning from a summer break in less than peak condition.

Despite concerns over his fitness, the 119kg battering ram was a fixture in the Chiefs back row and caused sufficient damage to warrant inclusion in the squad for the June Tests and Tri-Nations.

“He's a game-breaker and his attitude last week was right on the button,” Henry told NZPA.

Lauaki has been sought after by the selection panel since his debut in 2005 although the following season was disrupted by a chest injury.

He missed last year's Tri-Nations and was considered something of a bolter for the World Cup squad – a campaign that personally went sour a week before New Zealand exited.

Lauaki played a role in the four pool matches but was suspended for a high tackle in the final game against Romania, ruling him out of the quarter-final , although the ban was belatedly overturned.

Now he is poised for a twelfth cap after an eight-month delay.

“I think he's due,” said Henry.

“He's played some outstanding rugby for the Chiefs, especially in the big games,” Henry said citing Lauaki's dominant role in the Chiefs' back-to-back victories over the Crusaders.

“We're hoping we can get those high performances, like in the Crusaders game last year – we're hoping we can get that through into Test match rugby.”