Muliaina puts his hand up

Mils Muliaina has rushed to the Chiefs' aid in their hour of need, saying he would switch to centre in place of injured Richard Kahui ahead of their clash with the Hurricanes.

Mils Muliaina has rushed to the Chiefs' aid in their hour of need, saying he would switch to centre in place of the injured Richard Kahui ahead of their clash with the Hurricanes.

Kahui is a major doubt after injuring his ankle in the act of scoring a vital try in his side's 20-17 Super 14 win over the Waratahs in Hamilton on Saturday.

The ankle problem comes after his 2007 season was dogged by a shoulder injury, which ruled him out of World Cup contention.

Chiefs coach Ian Foster is set to name his squad Friday's fixture at the Westpac Stadium on Wednesday.

And Muliaina, who is a full-back by trade, said he would happily move up into the number 13 jersey if required.

“I ran a bit today at centre. I was asking Fozzie [Ian Foster] to give me a bit of time there just in case it does happen,” the All Black said, speaking to Yahoo!Xtra.

“I haven't had much time to work on our defence structure.

“But I am more than happy to do that, it is something I have been capable of doing in the past and is something that I actually enjoy.

“I just have to make sure that I am ready if it does occur.”

The Chiefs also lost All Black half-back Brendon Leonard with a dead leg against the Waratahs.

It continues the trend of recent seasons which has seen the Chiefs hit by early-year injuries.

“It just seems to be the case at the moment, losing crucial players at the start of the season,” Muliaina said.

“It has started again. But those are the things that we can't really control.

“But guys aren't as bad as what they actually were after the game.

“Hopefully they can bounce back from the weekend.”