Rugby: Brett shaking off flake tag

Stephen Brett moved to the Blues so he could get game time away from the Crusaders' Dan Carter. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Few have Stephen Brett's ability to flit so easily between the sublime and the ridiculous.

He's doing a lot less of the ridiculous, though.

While there will be disbelief - guffaws, even - around the country, Brett has made a compelling case after eight weeks to be considered the second-best first five-eighths in the country.

Some critics will never be convinced and will cling to their belief Brett is a flake.

If he really was an All Black in waiting, the Crusaders wouldn't have let him go - they would never have agreed to him signing a release clause that he could look elsewhere if Dan Carter was available.

But opinions are going to have to be revised. Brett has not been perfect. What he has been is a mixture of instinctive brilliance and solid tactical awareness, let down only be a few ill-judged decisions.

In a straight head-to-head against Stephen Donald, it's Brett all the way. Besides, Donald's future supposedly lies at second five-eighths. And then, who else is there?

Willie Ripia? Robbie Robinson and Aaron Cruden? Michael Hobbs? The only other real contender, Mike Delany, has managed just one start at No 10 and might be regretting his decision to stay loyal to the Chiefs.

Delany was approached by the Blues before Brett. He was flattered by their interest but decided the Chiefs had been good to him and he owed them another year.

That led the Blues to Brett and he knew he had to come north. The All Black coaches hadn't dictated a shift but spelled out that without game time, he couldn't progress.

There was an element of risk. The Blues were wobbly, a hit-or-miss side who were never sure whether they were ready to explode or implode.

Brett's bravery, his move out of his comfort zone, has been the making of him. He's still not in Carter's class when it comes to game management. No one is.

He's still a player with flaws. Instinctively, he's programmed to attack, to see that as his first and, at times, only option.

That has led to his making costly mistakes - the intercept against the Hurricanes and a charged-down kick that conceded a try against the Reds.

But the error count is coming down each week and Brett's coach at Canterbury, Rob Penney, believes it will keep dropping the more Brett plays.

"Having consistent rugby has given him the confidence to play the football we know he's capable of. He'll make the odd error but that will come down with the more time he spends in the jersey.

"It's taken as a given that he's reasonably experienced but when you think of the time he has spent injured, on the bench, or playing in a different position, I'd be interested to see how many minutes he's actually played at first five over the past few years."

For those who can't see past Brett as a flake, it's worth remembering that Donald's elevation to the All Blacks didn't come on the back of a balanced portfolio.

Donald has never been renowned as a game manager - he won his place because he offered something different when he attacked space.

No one, not even Carter, is running with the same confidence as Brett. He ghosted through the Hurricanes in his first act as a Blues player and has taken his running game to a new level.

He's doing it so well, he looks the best running first five since Nick Evans.

"Stephen has got some special gifts," says Penney.

"He plays best when he's instinctive and he's unfortunately suffered from a niggling knee injury in the last year which has held him back. But it's a fair point to say he's been the best running New Zealand first five in the competition so far."

There have been plenty of players - Rico Gear, Mose Tuiali'i, Ron Cribb - whose careers have blossomed by leaving the Blues to join the Crusaders.

Brett is the first to have travelled the other way and he'll need to assess whether it's an arrangement he should make permanent or at least opt for again in 2011.

He'll play for Canterbury in the provincial championship and then have the option of drafting to the Blues again or playing for the Crusaders.

Common sense would suggest he'd be best to come north again and not commit his future until he knows what Carter is planning post-2011.