Low centre of gravity keeps Braid where he wants to be

By WYNNE GRAY

When youngsters start playing rugby the result is the same worldwide. They follow the ball like heat-seeking missiles, all scrabbling for a touch of the pigskin.

Daniel Braid is a young man who has rarely deviated from that pattern so it's no surprise he plays flanker for the Auckland NPC side.

"My instincts have always been to go for the ball, I have never got away from that habit," the 21-year-old explains.

In his third and fourth form years at Tauranga Boys High, he flirted with a change to hooker and midfield. Being wedged in the front row was not to be repeated and in the backs he still felt too far from the action.

He returned to flanker for the first XV in the fifth form, a path he continued for the next few years when he moved on a scholarship to King's College and their first XV in Auckland.

A useful athlete, Braid was a sprinter at school and also in the national secondary schools and age-group sides where he skippered the under-16s against Australia.

His sporting pedigree was strong. Father Gary was an All Black lock who also played loose forward for Bay of Plenty and North Harbour, his mother Sue was a strong provincial basketballer.

Naturally his father played a huge part in his rugby education and still does as coach of the University club where Auckland representatives Angus MacDonald, James Christian, Iliesa Tanivula, Brent Ward, Scott Palmer and John Afoa play.

"He has been a huge influence in my life and helped with his wide general rugby knowledge," says Braid.

"He has a good idea about game plans and we bounce ideas off each other all the time."

The NZ Colt looks only medium size on the field because he is surrounded by the locking Williams, who are both over 2m, or the immense frame of Bradley Mika.

Braid is similar in stature to hooker Keven Mealamu at 1.84m and 96kg.

He is chunky, quick and tough. He is also a tackling machine who is regularly near the top of the tackle count, a statistic he modestly claims comes by virtue of his position.

"I have always loved tackling anyway.

"It is sort of an attitude thing and I have worked a bit more on technique and systems this season with Graham Henry."

Braid also had three brothers and a sister on whom to test his tackling prowess.

"My size is no impediment, certainly not this year because I have worked a lot more on my strength. I think it is more important to be able to run around and get round the track.

"I am also lower to the ground than some other flankers and I think that helps in the tackled ball area."

He believes Auckland have gained huge belief from their last two wins against Otago and Wellington to be primed for an upset win over Canterbury tonight in the first semifinal.

"I think we are starting to create more in attack, we are developing more phases to our play and it will be great to have another crack at this team which has most of the All Blacks.

"We know them more, we have experienced the kind of tactics they will use, how they will play the game.

"They are very good round the edge of the ruck, they are clever at slowing the ball down and they are very consistent in the forwards."