Full house to turn spotlight on No 10s

An intriguing question mark hovers over the Hurricanes and the Blues as they prepare to kick start their 2010 Super 14 rugby campaigns with a high profile "friendly" at Mangatainoka on Saturday.
The venue as much as the game itself has grabbed the headlines, and rightly so when you consider the logistics involved in having such a small town host such a major attraction
It's a mind boggling achievement by any standards and one which has been rewarded by the "full house" sign being raised several days before the big event.
For diehard rugby fans, however, Saturday's match will be seen more as a chance to assesses the prospective merits of the two teams, and it is the form of the players wearing the No.10 jersey which will be the focus of most interest in that regard.
Right now it would be impossible to predict with any certainly just who will be the regular first-five for either the Hurricanes or the Blues this year, and the Mangatainoka game could at least go some way towards answering that question.
Interestingly enough the Hurricanes own website is currently asking their fans to express their opinions on the matter. They are providing the opportunity to vote for one of three players, Aaron Cruden, Piri Weepu or Willie Ripia, and at the last time of looking it was Cruden who was out front with 61.1 per cent of the vote, followed by Weepu on 22 per cent and Ripia on 16.9 per cent.
The popularity of Cruden-son of former Wairarapa-Bush and Manawatu rep Stu Cruden- is hardly surprising considering the media exposure deservedly given him for his outstanding play at international age group level and for Manawatu last season but Super 14 is another step up and it remains to be seen whether he can meet that challenge as well.
Making sound judgement calls while coping with the sustained pressure applied on him by quality loosies baying for blood is never easy, particularly for a youngster still earning his stripes, no matter how precocious his talent may be.
Weepu and Ripia have, of course, been there, done that on the Super rugby scene and their experience will be in their favour although there will be many who see Weepu as a better bet at halfback, the position in which he has often appeared for the All Blacks in recent seasons. Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper has, however, been quick to use Weepu at first five in the past when the inside back combination has faltered and he still appeals as Cruden's main opposition for that berth.
The Blues too look to have three players in contention for the first-five role, All Black Luke McAlister, Stephen Brett and Daniel Kirkpatrick.
McAlister, like Weepu, has become something of a part-timer in the position with many pundits preferring him in midfield.
And again like Weepu his positioning will probably depend on how Brett, who has been such a useful understudy for Dan Carter at the Crusaders and Kirkpatrick, a national age group rep who was part of the Wellington Air NZ Cup squad, settle into their new home.
Brett, who has often been referred to as a future All Black, probably has the inside running and Saturday's outing will give him a royal chance to keep his nose in front.