KEY POINTS:
When Carl Hayman joined the All Blacks exodus there was distress about replacing the tighthead prop. And now the adoption of the experimental law variations has brought extra uncertainty about frontrowers' stake in the game.
Neither theme has bothered John Afoa, who scampered past 50 games for the Blues during their trip to South Africa and appears set to anchor the tighthead side of the scrum against the Force on Saturday.
Force and former All Black coach John Mitchell mentioned the calibre of the Blues scrum and the "balanced" work of Afoa in particular as barriers his side had to counter if they were to make an impact at North Harbour Stadium.
Afoa said: "I have put the work in pre-season, and we have had a good start to the competition.
"This year we mixed things up to keep things interesting."
Afoa is one of four All Black tightheads on Super 14 duty, as Greg Somerville, Neemia Tialata and Campbell Johnstone all compete for national selection.
The 24-year-old has anchored a steady Blues scrum and has also been prominent in rushing raids from the Blues where his skills, bulk and speed make him a dangerous ball-carrier against any sloppy defenders.
While some props might hanker for scrums from every free kick under the new laws, Afoa does not care what instructions come from his skipper.
"The new laws are quite tough because the ball is in play a fair bit, but we are used to that now. They play a lot of UK games on TV, and you watch those and get sick of it after five minutes. I think it is really good for the game having the new laws.
"If I'm close, I want the ball from free kicks but I also like to scrum, so I don't mind what we do."
Afoa's self-assurance is a result of sharpening his fitness and technical preparation for the new laws and front row skirmishes.
"We started slow last year and got peeled in the scrums but we have been rock solid so far," he said. "I was not quite switched on last season but this time I've gone hard, thought about lots of detail I needed to get right.
"The Force showed they could string a lot of phases together and gave the Crusaders a hurry up. They have a good backline, but I think we can really work them in the forwards and suck the energy out of them."
Coach David Nucifora tried to keep the squad fresh in Africa and will announce his side today and hold his first full training since the group arrived home.
He indicated he would make a few changes but would be guided by medical reports, such as on flanker Daniel Braid, who had recovered from his shoulder surgery.
"Sixteen points and home from Africa is a springboard and a good way to approach the rest of the season," the coach said.
They were coming off a bad 40 minutes against the Sharks, for which they got punished.
The Force looked to have the best structure of any Australian teams, they held their discipline and would prove a significant hurdle after the longhaul travel back from Africa.
