Blues take gamble in reshuffle of ranks

The Sharks did it for a new coaching staff while the Blues are punting on a new player roster to unhinge the champion Brumbies tonight at Eden Park.

It is one of the bigger gambles in coach Peter Sloane's conservative career, one seen as a sign of desperation, a brave new start or a concession the Blues have got it wrong all along.

Those theories were even examined by the Blues board last week as the entire franchise mulled over the mess left after a mixed start to the season and the latest defeat by the Crusaders.

Sacking playmaker Carlos Spencer was a massive call from the selectors for a variety of reasons.

They will not be able to ask him for help from the bench either as he had to return suddenly to Levin this weekend for a family bereavement. Rua Tipoki takes his place.

It was an interesting reaction to discard the first five-eighths when the side had been guilty of more than 30 turnovers in each of the past two games and could not win their lineouts against the Crusaders.

Spencer had to operate with a makeshift midfield for four games. He was not given the benefit of working with Mils Muliaina at centre, as new five-eighths Tasesa Lavea will get tonight.

Spencer's absence further depletes the experience in the side, with the suspensions of Ali Williams, David Gibson and Sam Tuitupou.

Experience will be a valuable commodity against the Brumbies, who will be weary from their trip to South Africa but stung by their only loss this year to the Sharks.

Can Lavea control a game from the start, has he the tactical gifts to deliver the right rhythm for the Blues, can he create the confidence which has wavered so far?

If the expectations on Carlos Spencer were huge, what do the selectors expect from Lavea?

More importantly, will the new pivot get the sort of possession to make an imprint on this match, one which could go a long way towards shaping the Blues' destiny for the rest of the competition?

With Spencer out of the mix, skipper Xavier Rush needs to show more leadership and impact in his loose-forward game.

Williams' absence will place even more heat on the lineout for replacement Bradley Mika or other targets such as Jerome Kaino or Rush. The scrum has been efficient and the Blues must sense this as one area to interfere with the mastery of visiting halfback George Gregan.

But the continuous phaseplay, which has been an attacking weapon, has been badly affected by slow ball, handling errors or poor decisions.

Suspensions for illegal rucking will not improve their state of mind near the breakdowns, where Brumbies forager George Smith will be even more menacing if the Blues are hesitant.

The influence of referee Jonathan Kaplan must also be factored in.

Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher was looking to his pack to take their game up a notch against the New Zealand sides.

"There is nowhere to hide, you have got to front up to what comes at you against the Kiwi packs," he said.

"We hope the challenge brings out the best in our two locks [Mark Chisholm and Radike Samo]."

The Brumbies had struggled with injury disruptions, player rotations and some defensive lapses to find the right cohesion in the early part of the series. "We have not played well but we have showed some good ticker and hang-in capacity," Fisher said.

Even those traits have deserted the Blues since they scrambled to victory against the Reds and their substitutions chaos.

Already there is an uneasy whiff of last year about the Blues, a season when they went from defending champions to fifth.

* Blues v Brumbies, Eden Park, Auckland, tonight 7.35