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Leonard held back for key tour
DAVE HUGHES
1 May 2008
The West Australian
All Black scrum-half Brendon Leonard will skip Saturday’s match against the Western Force at Subiaco Oval to give his sore knee time to heal before the Waikato team’s climactic trip to South Africa.
Leonard was not on the flight which brought the fourth-placed Chiefs to Perth yesterday but he is training in New Zealand and is expected to join his teammates for matches against the Lions in Johannesburg and Sharks in Durban which will determine whether they advance to the finals.
Captain Jono Gibbes is in Perth but may also sit out Saturday’s contest.
He hasn’t played a Super 14 match since tearing his hamstring against the Hurricanes in round three, but survived 60 minutes of club rugby last weekend.
Leonard’s absence means Jamie Nutbrown will start at the base of the scrum against the Force.
Nutbrown damaged his knee in the season-opening loss to the Blues in Auckland but survived the full 80 minutes of the Chiefs’ fifth consecutive win, over the Reds, at Waikato Stadium last Saturday.
The Chiefs will name their team at 3pm today.