'Almost back in full training': Wallace Sititi's return is ahead of schedule

On a night when international-calibre loose forwards were on show at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton, Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan has confirmed to media post-match that injured All Blacks loose forward Wallace Sititi is ahead of schedule in his return.

Sititi, who won the World Rugby Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year last year, hasn’t played any Super Rugby Pacific matches this season after sustaining a knee injury during the All Blacks end-of-year Northern Tour.

Sititi’s injury was considered close to season-ending, with the Chiefs saying at the start of the season that the 22-year-old is not expected to have much on-field involvement in the 2025 season.

However, McMillan told media post-match in Hamilton that Sititi has been tracking really well in his recovery.

“He’s doing really well with his recovery, so he’s almost back into full training,” McMillan said.

Despite the positive update, McMillan says the club will be careful in bringing him back into action, especially due to the severity of the injury.

“He hasn’t really had a full contact training yet, and we’ve got to be smart around making sure that he goes through all those sorts of progressions.

“But he’s sort of tracking in the right direction, that within the next month, he might be a contender, which is probably a lot earlier than what we anticipated.”

Having Sititi back in the squad later on this season will add more selection headaches for McMillan, especially with Simon Parker and Luke Jacobson, both having solid seasons for McMillan’s side.

The Chiefs head coach has also had the luxury of bringing All Black loose forward Samipeni Finau off the bench in some games, rotating his players each week.

Jahrome Brown has also enjoyed some consistent minutes this year for the Chiefs, after joining at the start of this season from the Brumbies, where he made 50 appearances for the Canberra-based side.

Sititi’s return from injury will also boost the All Blacks loose forward stocks in 2025, making Scott Robertson’s selection decision for the July home series against France even more difficult.