Waisake Naholo

Hansen's hand has been forced by injuries sustained by full-back Ben Smith and centre Ryan Crotty in their 30-15 win in the first Test in Auckland last Saturday.

Smith failed a head-injury assessment while Crotty suffered a hamstring strain.

As a result Israel Dagg moves from wing to full-back with Naholo, a try scorer in Highlanders' 23-22 victory over the Lions, taking his spot out wide. Lienert-Brown comes in for Crotty at outside centre.

The Fijian-born wing didn't just put up his hand for the No 14 jersey during the Highlanders' thrilling 23-22 win against the Lions in Dunedin on Tuesday night, he practically got on the blower to All Blacks coach Steve Hansen and demanded it. 

"Hopefully I did," Naholo said when asked if he thought he made a statement ahead of the first test in Auckland on Saturday week.

The dynamic 12-test All Blacks winger, along with first-five-eighth Lima Sopoaga, were both injured against the Blues at Eden Park in Super Rugby round three on March 11.

Fast forward more than a month and Naholo is back in training after recovering from his hamstring injury and is in contention to be named later this week to take the field for the Highlanders after playing 40 minutes of club rugby in Taranaki for Spotswood United.

Sopoaga is still doing his recovery and performance programme and is likely to be considered for selection in two weeks. 

Naholo suffered his latest leg injury in the dying stages of the Super Rugby champion's opening round loss to the Blues on February 26 and his rehabilitation has been carefully monitored at the franchise's headquarters.

The 24-year-old is now back in full contact training so a run in the club competition this weekend for the Harbour Hawks is the next logical step.

Should be emerge unscathed, Highlanders assistant coach Scott McLeod said the imposing finisher could play against the New Zealand conference-leading Chiefs in Hamilton on May 7.

This year Waisake Naholo wants to rewrite the script, and finish what he started.

What began so promisingly last year ended in disappointment from a personal rather than team perspective for the Highlanders star.

Barely six weeks after Waisake Naholo limped off with a broken leg on test debut, the Taranaki and Highlanders wing bolted into the All Blacks' World Cup squad of 31, named on Sunday.

The 24-year-old was the big talking point of the announcement at the Beehive in Wellington as he filed out in his suit and tie with the team-mates tasked with defending the Cup in England, starting next month. He was one of four outside backs named, joining Ben Smith, Julian Savea and Nehe Milner-Skudder, the latter forcing his way in with two impressive tests against Australia.