Rawlinson stars quietly for Blues

Greg Rawlinson is tackled by Junior Pelesasa during Friday's match between the Blues and Reds at Eden Park. Picture / Fotopress

With his Desperate Dan jaw, Greg Rawlinson has the look of a comic-book hero. But grinding locks perform acts of derring-do that put them much more in the unsung hero category.

Rawlinson, a thumping great brute of a man, is never going to get his moment in the sun as part of a Blues squad which contains more flash Harrys than a Parnell wine bar.

But in the side's two games so far, Rawlinson has made significant contributions both in the loose and at set-piece.

The Blues won the Super 12 title in 2003 on the back of a cohesive pack which could strangle even the South African units into submission. They lost it in 2004 when the piano shifters thought they would have a stint at being piano players.

Rawlinson, as befitting a man who learned the game in South Africa, thinks only about the basics. Finding himself on the wing would be scary so he much prefers to get in amongst the ugly stuff. It's that honesty and integrity to the role which has this Blues team looking more like the 2003 version.

The plaudits for the powerful scrummaging, which saw the Highlanders creak and the Reds collapse, have been given to the front row. Let's not forget, though, that it is the mighty frame of Rawlinson which packs down behind the destructive Saimone Taumoepeau.

The Blues lineout, too, has functioned with the efficiency of a German-engineered car. Ali Williams is the man in form, but Rawlinson has made a right royal nuisance of himself on the opposition throw and been used to telling effect as a decoy and a lifter.

Brad Mika, the man Rawlinson is keeping out of the boiler room, barely gets high enough at the lineout to slip a newspaper under his boots. You have to make the opposition think you are a threat. Rawlinson does that, Mika doesn't.

Against the Reds, Rawlinson led the drive from Williams' clean takes. He rides low in the saddle and gets his big legs pumping the instant he makes the hit. Simple stuff but invaluable. Even Carlos Spencer can only spread his pixie dust on the front foot.

By the end of this season's campaign it might be that Rawlinson's attitude proves to be his greatest asset.

In a star-studded team where there are a few high-maintenance egos, Rawlinson's level-headedness is an influence the coaching team are keen to see rub off.

"I can only take each game as it comes," says Rawlinson as proof that he is both grounded and aware that mastering cliches is another core element of his job.

"I'm not getting caught up looking at the big picture. I just want to get my head down and get through the work. I want to do the basics. That is the background of the team, anything else is a bonus.

"What the Blues need at the moment is the guys doing the work up front. We have got the guys in the backs to finish off the job. Once we get the basics sorted the rest should follow on."

Given the way he is playing, Rawlinson's words have obviously been muttered in the presence of Williams. The All Black lock hasn't strayed from his brief this season and on Friday night he didn't stray too far from Rawlinson either.

"It's really good," says Rawlinson about playing with Williams. "He's got a few things to say sometimes but he's playing really well."

So is Rawlinson, even though not so many people have noticed.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY