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Initial impressions: The Blues

Blues players celebrate during the rugby match between the Blues and the British and Irish Lions at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday, June 7, 2017. (AAP Image/David Rowland)
Roar Guru
19th November, 2017
23

How the mighty have fallen. In 1996, the inaugural season of Super Rugby, the Blues won the final 45-21 against the Sharks at Eden Park. Every member of the starting XV was or became an international.

The Blues have missed the playoffs for the last six years and have only qualified twice since 2006.

In 2018, there are only ten former or present All Blacks in the entire roster with Sonny Bill Williams and Rieko Ioane the only players who could be classified as ‘rockstars.’

Has there ever been an Auckland-based rugby team so bereft of star quality?

This might be a good thing as a group of younger and unheralded players bring a fresh attitude and greater determination to establish their own reputations.

Conversely, the Blues might lack the cattle to break their finals drought in the notoriously tough New Zealand conference.

The most contentious issue in the off-season has been who will play first-five. It won’t be Hurricanes acquisition Otere Black, who ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in the NPC and will miss the whole of 2018.

That’s forced the Blues to sign Dan Kirkpatrick and leaves Bryn Gatland and Stephen Perofeta as the frontrunners for the starting ten jersey.

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Gatland has improved markedly. Previously just a reliable tactician with a sound boot, he has grown his running game making him a greater all-round threat. He was strangely subbed after an hour when he was on fire for the New Zealand Barbarians in a close tussle with the British and Irish Lions in June.

Perofeta is in the Beauden Barrett mode and can cover fullback. He lacks the smarts of Gatland, but brings a greater flair than the North Harbour pivot which might give the Taranaki flyhalf the edge in this tussle.

A lot of the Blues success will hinge on the performances of All Blacks, Patrick Tuipulotu, Akira Ioane and Jerome Kaino. The Blues forwards lack the credentials of their rivals, but these three players are capable of dominating any opposition.

There are plenty of questions facing this Blues team:

Is Jermoe Kaino a spent force?

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Can Akira Ioane perform with greater consistency and force his way into the All Blacks Test team?

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Will Patrick Tuipulotu step up and become a genuine leader? Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, Josh Goodhue, Scott Scrafton and Jimmy Tupou are honest toilers, but hardly household names.

Openside Blake Gibson will be sorely missed at the start of the season, recovering from a shoulder injury.

Hooker James Parsons is a possible captain. He brings 79 games and previous periods as skipper to the table.

North Harbour’s Mike Tamoaieta, Tasman’s Isaac Salmon, Northland’s Matt Moulds and Wellington’s Leni Apisai are among the new tight forwards recruited. Tamoaieta is from the New Zealand Schools program and was barnstorming at times in the domestic competition and is one to keep an eye on.

The backline has a fresh and raw appearance to it.

Halfback Augustine Pulu is shaping as a key figure. The Counties scrumhalf failed to replicate his Chiefs form in 2017, but young challengers Jonathan Ruru (NZ Maori) and Sam Nock (NZ Under-20s) could push Pulu to greater heights.

The midfield will be spearheaded by Sonny Bill Williams, who has clearly lost pace but remains a potent force with his ability to offload in contact. Can George Moala recapture the form that saw him play four Tests for the All Blacks in 2015?

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Matt Duffie, Rieko Ioane and Melanie Nanai all have an eye for the try line, but will they get sufficient ball?

Caleb Clarke, the son of former All Black Eroni Clarke, is a big and exciting winger who did a lot of damage at the IRB Junior World Championships in June and with opportunity and confidence could make an impact.

What impact will the Blues have? This squad has nothing to lose, but it’s hard to see them making the playoffs.

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