All Black Mils Muliaina to play club rugby

KELLY HODEL/Waikato Times

RETURN: Mils Muliaina returns from his sabbatical to lead the Chiefs against the Reds in Hamilton.

KELLY HODEL/Waikato Times

TEAMING UP: All Black Mils Muliaina, left, practises with his brother, Alesana, at Te Rapa club rugby training at St Andrews Park in Hamilton last night.

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All Blacks star and Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina will play club rugby for the first time in nine years when he turns out for Te Rapa in a pre-season club match in Hamilton tomorrow.

And in doing so Muliaina will get to play alongside his younger brother, Alesana, for the first time.

The pair have been training together with Te Rapa this week as Mils gets ready to return to Super 14 play for the Chiefs against the Reds the following weekend at Waikato Stadium after a three-week sabbatical as part of his New Zealand Rugby Union contract.

"I'm just excited about getting out there and playing. It didn't even really cross my mind that I was playing with my brother for the first time," Mils said yesterday.

"But obviously I'm going back and playing some club rugby in Waikato for the first time and getting some game time under my belt before I join up with the Chiefs next week, so I'm looking forward to that."

Mils said because he was three years older than Alesana and had left the family home in Invercargill at a young age to go to school in Auckland, the pair had never played a game together in the same team.

"And I think it's been about nine years (since I last played club rugby for Suburbs in Auckland) and going to training on Tuesday certainly brought back a few memories of how club rugby works and the different things about it like having to remember to take your own training kit.

"Just the different dynamics, like guys having to come straight from work and the different levels of intensity and drills that you do. But I had a great time on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to going to training again tonight."

Mils has had "four solid weeks of training" leading up to this and is feeling in good shape and well refreshed.

"Initially I was supposed to play in that development game last weekend but I got the dates wrong.

"I thought it was this weekend so when I heard from some of the boys that Te Rapa was playing a pre-season game I gave them a call and asked if I could come down for a hit-out, and I'm appreciative I can do that."

- © Fairfax NZ News