New Zealand take a gamble on Waisake Naholo

Injured winger Waisake Naholo was on Sunday named in New Zealand's squad to defend the Rugby World Cup as the selectors trusted a Fijian folk healer to repair his broken leg in time for the tournament's pool rounds.

Naholo suffered a cracked tibia in his debut test against Argentina on July 16 and was thought to be sidelined for three months, ruling him out of action until the play-off rounds.

His expected unavailability further complicated the selection of the outside backs, which was one of the most contentious elements of the squad.

But Naholo travelled to his native Fiji to receive treatment from a traditional healer and the All Blacks' say medical tests show he has made a recovery and is now likely to be available at least for New Zealand's third pool match against Georgia on October 3.

Naholo, who has played only 50 minutes of test rugby, and 24-year-old Nehe Milner-Skudder who, after two tests, is already seen as a rising star have captured two of the outside backs spots along with automatic selections Ben Smith and Julian Savea.

Their inclusion comes at the expense of veterans Israel Dagg and Cory Jane, both of whom were key members of New Zealand's 2011 Cup-winning squad but have been hit by injuries.

The other troublesome areas of the squad, who have 17 forwards and 14 backs, were at fly-half - where one of four strong claimants had to miss out - and in the specialist roles of hooker and scrum-half.