KEY POINTS:
It's a battle that's been brewing for the best part of 18 years.
Almost before he could walk, Luke Braid could tackle, with three older brothers - including fellow flanker Daniel - perfecting the toddler's technique by running at him on their knees down the hallway of their Maungatapu home.
"He was virtually still in nappies," four-test All Black Daniel Braid, eight years older than Luke, recalls with a chuckle.
"And I think it taught him all about getting the right body position from a very young age. I'm sure some of that shows through in how good he is in the tight stuff."
That early apprenticeship may come back to haunt the older Braid sibling, however, when his Auckland side lines up in Rotorua to play Bay of Plenty in the Air NZ Cup on Friday night.
Luke Braid's effectiveness is increasing every week for the Steamers, usually coming off the bench in the last quarter of the game when starting loosies Tanerau Latimer, Solomon King and Colin Bourke start to tire.
The New Zealand under-20 star is likely to fill a similar role this week too, although King is struggling with injury and the brothers Braid might not have to wait as long to appear together on a rugby field for the first time.
"I don't think it will be number one on his list, to smash his little brother - I think he'll just be concentrating on his own play and getting his team the win," Luke Braid reflected.
"I'm just clocking up the experience points that you need - it's been a bit daunting playing some of the bigger sides against guys you've been watching on TV for years but I think I'm just about over that now."
Luke, who is still just 19, has an uncanny appreciation of the nuances of the game. His coaches believe he has a 30-year-old rugby brain ticking over in a teenager's body; it's hardly surprising given his pedigree.
Undoubtedly the most interested spectator in Rotorua Stadium on Friday night will be one G J Braid, aka two-test All Black, 124-game Bay of Plenty veteran and proud father Gary.
Now a successful Auckland publican, Gary Braid has watched his sons' progression from those early days in Maungatapu with pride.
"Dan and Luke would be out there going hammer and tongs, both totally uncompromising, hours after all the other kids had gone inside," Gary Braid recalled.
"Luke's been involved in rugby his whole life and he's watched Dan all that time. He knows the game inside out and always takes the short track and is always in the right place at the right time."
If you doubt Luke's persistence and work ethic, you only need to look back five days.
He played nearly half- an-hour against Otago in Bay's 31-20 Air New Zealand Cup victory on the Friday night, then requested a game for the Bay under-20 side 19 hours later against Northland, putting in 80 minutes of honest, accurate toil, trudging from the field exhausted, yet intensely satisfied.
"I needed to play a full game - there's nothing like match fitness and I just love playing footy," he said.
"It was good for me to get out and play 80 minutes - you tend to get a bit lost sitting on the bench and you can forget why you're actually there."
At 48, Braid Snr still hasn't gotten the game out of his system either, turning out for the Bay of Plenty Classic XV against a Chatham Island team on Friday night.
Surprisingly, given his blue-and-gold history, he's leaning towards his oldest son's province for this Friday's clash.
"Dan needs a bit of support at the moment because Auckland are struggling and he's in a team that isn't performing well," Gary Braid said. "He's frustrated as hell."
Frustrated, yes, but Daniel Braid is also a little more excited than usual.
Before he shifted to Auckland to finish his schooling, he spent many happy hours at Rotorua's International Stadium, rolling down the grass banks and scrapping with his brothers while he should have been watching his father play.
"I've got a lot of memories from that ground and it will be great to have my first game against my little brother in Rotorua," he said.
"It's great to see the little bro out there playing for the Bay and I'm really happy for him and hope he goes well - but maybe not too well. It might give me a little bit of extra energy when he comes on."
BRAID RUGBY HERITAGE
Luke Braid
Age: 19
Position: Flanker
Province: Bay of Plenty
Schooled: Tauranga Boys'
Height: 1.82m
Weight: 100kg
Pedigree: NZ Seconday Schools, NZ under-19, NZ under-21
Daniel Braid
Age: 27
Position: Flanker
Province: Auckland, Blues
Schooled: Kings College
Height: 1.81m
Weight: 96kg
Pedigree: NZ under-19, NZ under-21, NZ Maori, All Blacks (4 tests)
Gary Braid
Age: 48
Position: Lock
Province: Bay of Plenty, Nth Harbour
Schooled: Otumoetai College
Height: 1.93m
Weight: 102kg
Pedigree: All Blacks (2 tests, 13 matches)
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
