Manu Vatuvei's chances of facing England in this weekend's Rugby League World Cup semi final at Wembley look slim.
Vatuvei has trained for the first time this week, doing his own drills away from the squad as he continues to recover from a groin injury.
The 27-year-old St George-Illawara wing Jason Nightingale has been running on the left wing and is expecting to replace Vatuvei.
"He's probably less likely (to play), than he was last week," Nightingale said.
"Hopefully he does pull up ok for the team's sake but on a personal note, it would be great to play as well."
Despite only just coming right after a shaky and disjointed start to the competition, Nightingale is confident his inclusion will be a seamless one.
"I've trained in the position for the last two weeks so it won't be a massive adjustment for myself. The winger's decisions are pretty much decided by the players inside you anyway," Nightingale said.
Nightingale's only outing so far in the tournament came during the romp over the French in Avignon, however he insists mentally he's ready to step straight into a World Cup semi final against the home nation.
"I've been preparing to play at some stage. Whether it was going to happen or not I was still preparing to be available. That's the main thing when you go into a big competition like this, it's about the squad, not just the starting team."
Nightingale is also confident that, despite his lack of game time, he'll be match fit.
"We've seen in the past that injuries happen, it's the nature of sport. It's been a great programme that has been run for the people that haven't been play to make sure we are in shape," Nightingale said.
The Kiwis have Thursday off, before the final captain's run at Wembley.
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