Blues put Flavell on their wish list

Troy Flavell. Picture / Fotopress

The Blues are in line to snare returning former All Black forward Troy Flavell next season.

Flavell, whose Japanese club Toyota are touring New Zealand, has confirmed he has spoken about a return to All Blacks coach Graham Henry, a major fan of the sometimes controversial lock/loose forward.

One of Henry's first acts after being appointed All Black coach was an attempt to stop Flavell from heading overseas early last year.

Flavell and his wife Cherie, who are celebrating the birth of their first child, are ready to return to New Zealand when his contract ends in mid-February.

The Hurricanes and Chiefs have also put out feelers for Flavell, but insiders say he is almost certain to return to the Blues, although he could link with Auckland instead of his old North Harbour union.

North Harbour chief executive Noel Coom has spoken to the 28-year-old about re-signing for Harbour. He expects the utility forward to return to the Blues region and win a place in the Super 14 squad for 2006.

"We would love to have him back, although I don't expect we would see much of him at Harbour anyway even if he did agree to come here - that's a fact of life for All Blacks and their NPC teams over the next few years," Coom said. "It's [Blues coach] David Nucifora's call, but I'm sure you will find he comes back to the Blues. His family and friends are in the region."

Henry made a major play to keep Flavell in New Zealand, which helped the 15-test forward negotiate an even bigger contract from his Japanese club.

Flavell always suggested that he would try to win his All Black place back in time for the 2007 World Cup. At the time, Henry predicted it would be a tough task after playing in Japan.

But Leon MacDonald won back his test spot after returning from Japan. He believes his stint there helped lengthen his career by giving him respite from top-level demands.