MORE SURGERY LIKELY: Richard Kahui has done his shoulder in again.

Only a cruel soul could not feel empathy for Richard Kahui. Even those who cursed his pending departure to Japan must now see his succinct thought process. Go now, before it's too late.

Kahui may have played his last game in New Zealand rugby with Chiefs assistant coach Wayne Smith revealing he is likely to need more shoulder surgery. That would total seven operations. Seven.

Most ordinary blokes coast through life without going under the knife once. Spare a thought for a humble 27-year-old who, because of his thirst for physical contact, will never reach the heights he was destined for. This is a harsh reality.

Alas, those thundering hits, powerful incisions and classical finishing were all too fleeting. Consultation with a familiar specialist this week will confirm the prognosis, but the Chiefs are already expecting to be without Kahui for the remainder of the season. And, at this rate, speculation he may return in time for the 2015 World Cup is tenuous at best. His upper body is pleading "no more".

"It's not looking good. There will be some sort of intervention," Smith said.

"I don't know to what degree. We're resigned to that."

Kahui proved his worth with a superb return to form in the midfield for the defending champions and, until now, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen had planned to pick him for next month's three-test series against France on the wing.

"It's not a hundy what the full story is, but we're pretty certain he won't be available for June," Hansen said.

Not only does Kahui's latest setback appear to have ended his Super Rugby and possibly All Blacks career, it also threatens to derail his financial security - a lucrative two-year deal with Japanese club Toshiba.

"I don't think there's much hope of Richard being ready for that [All Blacks]. It's a bugger because he was playing so well. He came back and made a real impact and then he's gone again," Smith said.

"We'll wait and see what the specialist says. You never know in this game. It could be different from what I said, but I doubt it. He didn't have a lot of power in it. It's pretty tough on him all right. We're just hoping to get a couple of others back."

Others include Andrew Horrell. Previously thought to be out for the season with an ankle injury, he is on track to return after the June tests.

Other than Kahui, Smith and co have plenty to ponder after Friday's patchy 39-33 win over the Rebels in Melbourne. For the second week in a row Dave Rennie's men compiled quick points - they had the four-try bonus point after 30 minutes - only to let the ascendancy slip. Sure, they weren't helped by some shocking TMO decisions - one where a blind man could have seen the forward pass - but conceding nine tries in two weeks is not good enough.

While the wins keep coming, management will be keen to see more balance and control. A mental shift of when to shut the game down is needed.

"Eventually we are going to have to really tighten up," Smith said.

"We know that it's an issue. We've just got to find a solution to solve it. That's the bottom line. If we are going to win it again this year it will be defence that wins it. But we're going into games trying to get five points and that reflects the way we are playing. The conference is going to be decided on that eventually."