KEY POINTS:
Pat Lam started as Blues coach this week and made finding a first-five his top priority. The franchise has been hit by a perfect storm that has seen Nick Evans and Isa Nacewa leave and the new rules increase the importance of the No 10 role - in
particular, the ability to kick under pressure.
More than ever, Super Rugby teams need a quality, experienced first-five. That has given Lam a major headache - the Blues don't really have anyone who fits the bill.
Lachie Munro has been a 'special project' at Auckland, with Lam and his assistant Shane Howarth hopeful the youngster would emerge this season as the answer at first-five.
Progress has been shaky, though, with Munro returned to fullback after failing to convince in the early rounds. He's back in the saddle now and with the remainder of the campaign to prove he can cut it at first five.
Former Hurricanes player Jimmy Gopperth, on loan at North Harbour, is in much the same boat. He's experienced but he's not really done enough so far with Harbour to suggest he can land the Blues a championship.
"First-five is a priority area," said Lam. "It is one of the most vital positions and, right through New Zealand, I think we are lacking in depth.
"There are still some questions being asked of Lachie and Jimmy. It has got to be up to them to prove themselves. But for David [Holwell], it is about whether he wants to play. He skipped last year so he has to decide if he wants to play Super 14 next year."
Making the right choice at No 10 is one of the toughest Lam has to make. Super 14, historically, has not adhered to the adage of being won up front. Having athletic, rugged forwards is important but the difference between sides has tended to be their ability to exploit space and score tries - much of which is determined by the skill and vision of the first-five.
To ensure the Blues end up with the right man at No 10 and elsewhere, Lam will spend the next week or so laying down a selection template that will determine the key qualities he's looking for in each position.
To do that, the Blues must first decide what style of football they will try to play. There has been an assumption the Blues will play a similar style to the one favoured by the title-winning Auckland side of 2007.
They operated with a fluid, intuitive precision that was based on a philosophy of play what you see. But the new rules have rendered that thinking redundant.
"The key is adjusting to the new rules," says Lam. "We can't play the same game Auckland did in 2007. What we will be aiming for is to have a squad of skilled players that can play a number of different game plans. If it is wet, we need to be able to adjust and play a different way to how we would if it was dry."
What will remain consistent in any game plan, however, is the need for the first-five and other midfield backs to be able to kick under pressure.
Lam's assessment of the new rules is that they have not only dramatically increased the amount of kicking but also greatly increased the number of times players have to get the ball away with defenders bearing down on them.
"It is not just about the kicking now. A lot of guys can punt the ball but we have to put them into simulated situations so they can practise getting the ball away under pressure.
"That is something Shane [Howarth] will work a lot on in the pre-season and a little bit in-season now.
"At the moment, we are seeing a lot of aimless kicking, as guys are just tending to kick the ball to get it away when they are under pressure.
"The teams that can adjust quickly and improve their overall kicking will have an advantage and that is why No 10 is going to be such a critical position."
At this stage, there would have to be concerns about the lack of quality in the region.
Munro is a mazy runner and timed his intrusions into the line well from fullback. But he hasn't yet shown he can take control of a game from first-five and dominate tactically.
Gopperth was released by Wellington because they felt they had better options and, while he has experience at Super 14, his work was deemed erratic by Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper.
For the past two seasons, Gopperth couldn't nail the jersey for the duration of the campaign. Isaia Toeava is regarded as a stop-gap option at No 10.
Holwell, who is almost 34, is a great man to have around, to bring off the bench and to start the odd game to give the first choice a break. He's not the right player to build a team around, however, and that opens the possibility of the Blues having to go to the draft or transfer market.
Domestically, the players the Blues would most like are under contract. Dan Carter will be in Perpignan next year, leaving Stephen Brett free to grab the Crusaders No 10 jersey, while Stephen Donald is tied to the Chiefs.
It's debatable any other No 10 around the country would offer more than Munro or Gopperth, potentially opening discussion about whether the Blues should recruit offshore.
Overseas signings have not been encouraged by the NZRU. But those barriers are set to come down in 2010 when Super Rugby expands and a proposal has been tabled to allow limited numbers of foreign marquee players into New Zealand sides.
The Blues could argue that dispensation to recruit from abroad is needed to bolster their squad in 2009 and see if they can pick up a world class performer for one season, as the Sharks did this year when they signed Freddie Michalak.
