All Black Kahui injures shoulder again

Injury-plagued All Blacks centre Richard Kahui's season with Super 15 champions the Waikato Chiefs is in doubt after he hurt his shoulder in training, it was reported Wednesday.

Kahui, who missed the Chiefs' win over the Coastal Sharks last Saturday with a hamstring strain, injured his shoulder during tackling practice on Sunday, the Waikato Times said.

Chiefs coach Dave Rennie told the newspaper that Kahui would undergo a scan next week, saying signs were "not very good" for the 27-year-old, who has signed to play with Japanese club side Toshiba Brave Lupus next year.

"It felt sore and then he threw out a hand to catch a ball and he felt a little pop in there," Rennie said.

He said the injury was to the same shoulder that Kahui had been operated on last year, sidelining him for 10 months. The player only returned to Super 15 rugby last month.

Kahui was a key member of New Zealand's World Cup-winning team in 2011 but persistent shoulder problems have plagued him since his international debut in 2008, restricting him to just 17 Tests, in which he scored 10 tries.

AFP