Rugby: Braid's injury woe in All Black hunt

Daniel Braid has worn the Blues jersey in more than 80 games. Photo / Getty Images

Nearly three weeks after his last game, Daniel Braid is still struggling to move properly.

And there is no noise yet on when he will regain his flexibility.

The 30-year-old is battling the effects of an occupational hazard which afflicts many loose forwards - neck problems.

Braid has a prolapsed disc which is taking some time to settle after he was hurt while playing against the Force in Perth.

Braid returned to Blues trainings this week, purely as an observer, where he also noted fellow loosie Jerome Kaino was dealing with a similar affliction.

The prognosis for Braid is uncertain; it is very much a wait-and-see recovery.

This is not the sort of news he wants to hear in this World Cup year.

Not when he has heard reports about the rising star of Matt Todd and noted others such as Adam Thomson and Scott Waldrom going strongly about their loose-forward business.

But Braid is no 22-year-old newcomer like his younger brother Luke, who is hunting hard to make his impact as a No 7 in the Super 15 series.

The older brother has played six tests for the All Blacks, been to a World Cup and worn the Blues jersey in more than 80 games.

He resumed his All Black life on tour last year but knows his health, especially with his wife due to give birth in a month to the couple's first child, is a priority.

"Over a few years I have had various sore necks but nothing this serious," he said.

"It was just the position I was in when I got hit, then there was one more ruck and I got hit again and that was it.

"It is like a compression injury. It is not a full rupture which requires surgery but a matter of waiting for it to settle down and take the pressure off the nerve."

Braid looked very sore. He was struggling to move his neck and his sleep had been disturbed because of the pain running down his arm into his index finger.

"The prognosis is rest to let the nerves settle down. It has not affected my strength but it is like having a permanent stinger for weeks.

"Our bye is coming at a good time next week so that gives me more time to get right," he said.

The extended Super 15 and the expanded squad numbers also give him time to recuperate properly and impress the selectors later in the season.

"It is a year when everyone wants to be fit to show off their credentials but at least I will get time to have another go," he said.

"If we make the finals then there is the chance of another three weeks.

"It's a bit like misery needs company at home though," Braid commented, laughing, "with both of us [he and his wife] battling sleep and moving round the house."

Braid knows he has to be patient and is mindful of his health and life after rugby. He plans to adhere to medical advice.

In the meantime he is trying to do some work in the pool and avoid any other exercise that could stir up his nerves.

"As a loose forward I guess you are a bit vulnerable when you are bent over at rucks trying to get the ball," he said.

In the meantime he wants to help with tactical planning for games.

He can watch videos of the Blues and their rivals to help teammates and make suggestions to the coaching staff.

"We are travelling well enough," Braid said before the side's next game tomorrow against the Cheetahs in Whangarei.

"We scraped a draw in Perth but we have only lost one game so far and off the field Pat [Lam] is cracking the whip, getting tough on the boys and everyone is reacting well to that.

"We have a very important three-game stretch coming up at home and then we will be about halfway through the competition."