If Blues coach John Kirwan wants to present his team with a role model as they seek to get something tangible out of their South African trip, he need look no further than captain Luke Braid.
The openside flanker has been a standout in all sorts of areas, his big numbers in several statistical cate-gories suggesting an extremely high work-rate combined with skill and subtlety. Braid is proving that his leadership role, something that impacted negatively on his game during the latter part of Pat Lam's reign, is suiting him rather well this season.
Jack Lam has rightly won plaudits at the Hurricanes for his workrate and ability to win turnovers, but Braid, who has had similar game time, has carried the ball almost twice as often as Lam and has been extremely hard to stop. According to the Herald Rugby Stats Centre, Braid has beaten eight defenders and has made six offloads - both category-leading statistics - and all this combined with his 43 tackles.
Braid is sixth on the list of top tacklers in the competition and the best New Zealander. He is equal second behind Waratahs fullback Israel Folau as the competition's best offloader, and the best Kiwi in terms of clean breaks.
Lions loose forwards Warren Whiteley, Jaco Kriel and Warren Tecklenberg have also posted impressive numbers. In four full matches, Whiteley has made 50 tackles.
