It may not only be the Highlanders who end up playing the Melbourne side on neutral turf, as Chiefs management look into other options for next weekend.
Stuff sports reporters12:05, May 26 2021
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The Chiefs have re-signed midfielder Quinn Tupaea.
The Chiefs have re-signed Quinn Tupaea for another two seasons after his breakout performances in the early rounds of Super Rugby Aotearoa. The 22-year-old from Hamilton suffered a knee injury in his fourth appearance of the season against the Highlanders in Dunedin in April, but he is still one of the most highly rated midfielders in the Kiwi game and has committed to his home franchise until 2023, as well as Waikato for the national provincial championship. The Chiefs, who play the Reds in Townsville on Saturday in the third round of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, left for Queensland on Wednesday and Tupaea travelled with the squad as he nears his comeback from an MCL injury.
The Chiefs tame the Brumbies in Hamilton.
It was just a poke in the eye for Tupou Vaa’i, but it still has the Chiefs sweating on the availability of their All Blacks lock for their trip to face the Reds next weekend. Vaa’i was the major injury worry out of Saturday night’s 40-19 victory over the Brumbies in Hamilton, replaced in the 34th minute after an eventful start which saw the 21-year-old flat on the deck in the opening minute, then scoring the game’s opening try three minutes later. But while coach Clayton McMillan was able to reveal no extensive damage to his star second rower post-match, he stopped short of locking him in for next Saturday night’s fixture in Townsville.