KEY POINTS:
The embracing revolution that followed the stunning win in Canberra is revealed further here in these exclusive diary extracts from deep within the heart of coach David "Nucy" Nucifora's Camp Blues. Some of the nicknames have been changed.
STEVE 'STEVIE' DEVINE
Dear diary: The emotions are still flowing ... I could have squeezed that little David Gibson until his ribs popped but Flavs pulled me back, and if there's one bloke you don't mess with its Flavs. People say he's mellowed , even Flavs says he's mellowed, but the truth is everyone just nods back at him when he says it then runs away. It just seemed like a good opportunity to stick a bear hug on Gibby - he is playing okay I suppose, maybe, at a pinch. Two wins in a row and two matches in a row on the bench for me, dear diary. It's a funny old start to the season but that's footy. It's full of ups and downs and sometimes all at once. I'm okay about this hugging stuff, although it takes a lot of getting used to when you play for the Blues. I played five seasons for them before another joker would even give me his phone number. I remember someone giving me a pat on the back in about 2004 and another guy might have brushed my arm in 2002. Come to think of it I remember the coach Frank Oliver giving me a massive hug in 2001 but he appeared to be having a meltdown at the time so I was kind of just trying to hold him up. It was a bad season. I started getting tired and told Frank to harden up and then I saw the assistant coach John Kirwan looking at me a bit funny. Now he's used my line on TV. I wasn't even talking to him. It's the Hurricanes this week. You need to hug each other in Wellington just to keep warm.
ISAIA 'ICY' TOEAVA
Dear diary: What a great moment, my first proper hug in a Blues jersey. I'd assumed that since I'd been shipped back to the Blues it might take until 2009 before there was anything to hug about but it just shows how wrong you can be. It was a relief to get it over with, actually. Had a rough start in the professional ranks in this regard. Got over-excited after a win while playing for the Hurricanes last year and tried to hug Jerry Collins. He ran right over the top of me. I yelled out to him that the game was finished and he just said $@&. That was it. No apology. Nothing. Still, some people freak out on planes and maybe he was having a bad flight.
TROY 'FLAVS' FLAVELL
Dear diary: I describe hugging as the ring of confidence and as I revealed to the public, the younger guys got a big boost from the whole Canberra experience, even though the younger guys have played about 72 tests for the All Blacks already. Actually, I looked around and suddenly thought, I am one of the younger guys when it comes to counting recent All Black tests and it was quite a shock. I've had a lot of time off for one thing or another over the years and there have been a few worrying signs in the early rounds, so I hope that Paul Honiss finds out that I'm a huggy sort of guy - although never when I'm competing in the air in lineouts, Paul, in case you read this.
JOHN 'AFS' AFOA
Dear diary: I saw Saimone coming towards me after the game and I said, "Hang on T, not so quick fella. You know the rules. Crouch, pause, touch, hug". Hah, hah, hah. Lovely fella that T, except if you have to bang heads with him in the scrum. It's like getting mauled by a guidance counsellor. Anyway, back to the game. T smiled, kind of, at my little joke. The ref was passing by and gave me a right ticking off. He said touch comes before pause and that my position was illegal because my head was fractionally below the waist. Thought he was being a bit harsh since I was lying down at the time but Flavs says discipline is vital. Drakey could use all this on the TV commentary. I must ring him - it might give the public a good inside view of what goes on in the front row. I wonder if Drakey and those guys used to hug in the old days. There's a rumour around that an old AB prop got sent home from Wales for hugging a security guard, so I presume it was banned at one point. I'm also told there was a time when blokes had to work and play rugby, but you never know what to believe. An old rugby fella told me this week that the only thing you'd ever catch him hugging was a lamp post about 14 hours after the game. Those old footy players have a strange sense of humour.
ANTHONY 'TU' TUITAVAKE
Dear diary: Thought the day would never come when I had to hug an Auckland player. Actually, I got around it and hugged Flavs. I might give that Icy a hug at the end of the season if I get to play more games than him. But that's as far as it goes. Hugging is an Auckland thing. Most of the jokers at North Harbour have enough trouble hanging on to the ball let alone hanging on to someone else.
SAM 'SAMMY' TUITUPOU
Dear diary: I'm really hacked off. Nucy has banned me from hugging because he reckons I've stuck three of our jokers in hospital. I told him they fell awkwardly. Nucy reckons he'll give me tapes of Laurie Fisher and George Gregan so I can see how to hug properly but every time I ask for them he just laughs and says, "Oh Sammy". Those Aussies have a weird sense of humour. Anyway, Nucy says I drop the shoulder too much when I hug and he wants me to plant the feet rather than driving off the right foot. I even offered to shorten my run up. But Nucy said it's either no run up or no hugging. Tough decision. I really miss Xavier Rush. I knew what he was on about. None of this ever came up with the Chiefs, although I seem to remember Byron offering to hold skills sessions on it. Said he knew some experts and that a good place to start was the goalposts. Byron was a real laugh.
GREG 'RAWLY' RAWLINSON
Dear diary: I was really disappointed with my hugging after the game. Felt I let the team down. Poor technique and not a lot of power. I'm probably starting on the back foot since it's not really a part of rugby in South Africa and the only person I hugged during my time at Bay of Plenty was the pilot who airlifted me out of there. I felt like hugging Graham Henry when he picked me in the ABs (see, diary, I'm getting the lingo right) but thought better of it. I'll get better, I promise, but I probably could have done with a bit more warning. I was trying to walk to the changing rooms and Flavs just flung himself around me. My immediate reaction was to cover the head with my arms but then I realised it was a sort of after-match ritual. Just wish I could tell the public that none of this was even mentioned at training. I wonder if this stuff is practised at Graham Henry's conditioning window checkpoint camps. Just when I think I've got to know this country, it leaps up and knocks you down. I never thought I'd get the chance to do a haka in a toilet either. Actually, I missed out on that cultural experience but I'm hoping to get the chance at the World Cup.
DAVE 'NUCY' NUCIFORA
Dear diary. Hugged myself after the win and then walked into town to catch a movie. Was so embarrassed when I realised what I'd done but old habits die hard when I'm in Canberra.
NEXT WEEK
A Blues player reveals why he'll never be able to hug properly but says he hopes to make up for it by scoring tries.
