All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipulotu said he surprised even himself by how fast he has recovered from a knee injury to captain the Auckland Blues in Saturday’s home Super Rugby final.
A sell-out crowd of around 45,000 is expected at Eden Park to see the Blues lock horns with the Waikato Chiefs in the title decider.
Tuipulotu was initially expected to miss the rest of the season and the All Blacks Tests against England next month after hobbling off with a torn medial ligament in a quarter-final win over the Fijian Drua two weeks ago.
“I progressed with the rehab after I turned up on Monday morning and surprised myself with how well I went,” the 32-year-old told reporters on Friday.
He got the green light after testing the knee in the gym and on the training field.
“The medical team checked it out and I saw the physio’s eyes light up,” he said.
“It feels pretty unreal, that all of a sudden I am back in the fold and playing in the final,” he said.
A torn medial ligament can take up to six weeks to heal.
“I had a good pre-season and stayed off the alcohol all season, which probably helped speed things up,” he said.
The 43-Test veteran All Black said that if he gets through the final, he will be available for selection when the New Zealand squad to play England is announced on Monday.
Tuipulotu captains a powerful Blues side boasting All Blacks loose forwards Dalton Papali’i and Hoskins Sotutu, as well as Rieko Ioane in midfield and Mark Telea on the wing.
The Blues have won their last 15 home games at Eden Park.
The Chiefs are hoping to pull off another shock away win after beating the Wellington Hurricanes in the semi-finals.
“It would be huge for the fans and us,” said Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson.
“The Blues play a pretty direct game, so we know we are going to have to front up physically.
“We are going to have to get stuck into them early.”
The Chiefs were beaten in last year’s final by the Canterbury Crusaders.
