Paulo replaces injured Flynn - again

When Ti'i Paulo was last sighted in the Super 14 he was drenched in beer and feverishly chanting Reuben Thorne's name.

Twenty months have passed since that final at AMI Stadium in Christchurch, a night in which the Crusaders beat the Waratahs 20-12 to claim their seventh Super 14 title and an occasion Paulo no doubt wanted to repeat in a hurry.

But if the hooker thought he was going to have a crack at repeating those festivities in 2009, he was to be out of luck.

A serious knee injury suffered in the Air New Zealand Cup ruined any chance of being picked for the Crusaders and Otago's Jason Macdonald was drafted as Corey Flynn's deputy.

Now Paulo is set to return to the Crusaders' front row when they meet the Highlanders in their opening round match at AMI Stadium next Saturday night, having again been called upon to replace the injured Flynn who was also ruled out of the 2008 final because he had broken his arm in the semi against the Hurricanes.

The high ankle sprain suffered by Flynn in Thursday night's pre-season match against the Blues in Motueka will rule him out of next Saturday night's match.

He could be sidelined for up to three weeks.

There are hopes he could be back sooner and management are thankful the rake, who had strapped both ankles, did not damage ligaments further down the joint because that could have resulted in a lengthier spell out of action.

Wider training group member Quentin MacDonald, who impressed with his high work rate with Tasman last year, will now be promoted into the reserves and could earn his first Super 14 cap against the Highlanders.

Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder expressed satisfaction with his side's 21-12 win over the Blues, despite failing to score in the second half after leading by 16 points at the break.

With their opponents hogging much of the possession, the Crusaders, who broke up many of their combinations as Blackadder emptied his bench, were forced to defend for lengthy periods in the second spell.

Although he won't have the luxury of employing 14 substitutes, as he did in Motueka, against the Highlanders he is sure to think carefully about the composition of his bench for next weekend.

Many of his All Blacks will be undercooked because they formally returned to training only on February 1 and they will lack match fitness.

Among those to squeeze in only 40 minutes (if that) against the Blues were Brad Thorn, Kieran Read, Owen Franks, Andy Ellis and Zac Guildford.

The good news is the enigmatic Dan Carter, who played 55 minutes against the Blues, is certain to be back in the No10 jersey.

Like Paulo, Carter's most recent memories of the Super 14 were celebrating the title win in 2008.

- © Fairfax NZ News