Rugby: Blues gem Ice latest target

Isaia Toeava. Photo / Getty Images

Next to Daniel Carter, the man most under siege from European predators is Isaia Toeava. The offshore market is circling, hopeful that Toeava, like many others, will be susceptible to life-changing money.

It's making the Blues nervous. Toeava is the player they most fear losing. Should he leave, 2012 will immediately shape as a rebuilding year.

The French have a voracious appetite for outside backs of Polynesian descent. Sitiveni Sivivatu will be joining Clermont later this year, Rudi Wulf is at Toulon and all across the Top 14, there are Fijian wings - men such as Sireli Bobo and Rupeni Caucaunibuca.

Toeava is believed to have offers from France, England and Japan but has also been identified as a 'must-keep' player by the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The Blues know it could be a tough campaign if Toeava isn't around, as the 25-year-old has been playing like the superstar the All Black coaches said he was going to be.

Jared Payne has already decided to leave. Stephen Brett is almost certain to be on his way, as is Joe Rokocoko. Luke McAlister and Benson Stanley are weighing their options.

But Toeava is the one who is almost irreplaceable. In his five seasons at the Blues, the 25-year-old has played in jerseys 10 through to 15. That kind of versatility, and it is genuine versatility, is unheard of.

He's also been the best fullback in the country so far this season. His ability to beat players, to fend and accelerate, is such that he will almost certainly start on the wing for the All Blacks this year.

He's comfortable under the high ball, is a brilliant long passer, positions himself cleverly, is believed to be one of the quickest, if not the quickest player in the country and can boom the ball a country mile off his right boot.

These are qualities the All Blacks crave in their back three, but they are also qualities that mean he can play effectively at centre and possibly even at first and second five if he had to.

Toeava has been used at first five on defence by the Blues all season - because his power on defence shores up the most vulnerable channel around the ruck.

With the Blues uncertain right now where they might have gaps in their backline, Toeava is gold. He would be able to slot in wherever he's needed next year.

But the desperation to keep him is being driven by more than his versatility. Toeava has become the guardian of the Blues backline this year; he is the leader, the driver and the man who calls the shots.

"He's right on top of his game and I know New Zealand are really keen to keep him here because everyone overseas is after him," says Blues coach Pat Lam. "The best part of his game is his vision. He sees things, he can beat a man, he can read a game and his awareness of what is around him is very good.

"He has a powerful fend and his acceleration is second to none, so he can exploit teams. He's also a real leader, the most important guy and nothing goes through the backline unless Ice [Toeava] ticks it off."

There is a double edge to Toeava's new-found maturity. When Toeava was last coming off contract, there was little fear he would head offshore.

While his rugby skills were good enough to believe he would succeed at any club in the world, there was a sense that his life skills just wouldn't have been strong enough to cope.

Naturally shy and deferring in his early years, Toeava would have been horribly out of his comfort zone if he had shifted offshore in 2009.

The widely held perception among those who knew him well was that the demands of getting to grips with a new country, with a new way of life, would probably have been too much at that stage.

But the landscape has changed.

Toeava is a different person now; more confident about imposing himself.

Time in Europe would be less foreboding now and the Blues know that the danger of Toeava leaving is real.