Rugby: Fanfare for 'first-five shuffle'

Stephen Brett. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Super 14 squads were announced with much fanfare yesterday, though the exercise could have been just as easily renamed the "first-five shuffle".

The confirmation of Canterbury's Stephen Brett as the Blues' backline director was widely expected, the drafting of another five-eighths, Wellington's Daniel Kirkpatrick, less so.

That meant Daniel Bowden, touted as Auckland and the Blues' playmaker little more than a year ago, was on the move via the draft to the Crusaders, where he will cover for Daniel Carter and Colin Slade in the No 10 jersey.

Hawkes Bay pivot Matthew Berquist was once more drafted by the Highlanders and, when you add in the Super 14 squad debuts to talented flyhalves Aaron Cruden and Robbie Robinson at the Hurricanes and Highlanders respectively, it was a day for those who wear 10.

But Pat Lam wore the biggest smile, as Brett's coronation as a Blues player became official.

It is hoped that Brett, with the transferring Alby Mathewson at halfback and the returning Luke McAlister outside him, will give the Auckland franchise the sort of direction and inspiration they have been missing since the days of Carlos Spencer and Steve Devine.

"We've been very keen to get Steve for the past few weeks but you never know until you get there," Lam said. "When the [protected squads] were submitted and Steve wasn't in there he was always going to be our first pick.

"He had a great season for Canterbury, has experience at Super 14 level, has led them to titles, but the most important thing was Stevie has ambitions to go to higher honours. That's part of our role to help him get there."

Only a fool would suggest that Lam and his staff are not under pressure to show dramatic improvement on last year's ninth-place performance - and Lam, in his second season, is no fool.

"I went into this process this year feeling a lot more relaxed, knowing what we needed to do and how it all worked," Lam said.

"We've got 21 guys back, we've got a foundation we can build on."

Job security is not such an issue for Chiefs coach Ian Foster after his side's run to the final last year and the fact he dipped into the draft just once, for Taranaki's loose forward/lock Jarrad Hoeata, would indicate he is comfortable with the talent in the region.

"The last two years we've felt we had to go to the draft ... everyone goes through a different building process but for us, we're stoked that our team doesn't have too many surprises. It's pretty stable from last year, yet in saying that we've got eight new faces. A lot of them have come from through Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Counties so we're pretty pleased with that."

On the surface it seemed curious that the Chiefs did not try harder for Serge Lilo as backup for All Black Tanerau Latimer.

That left the Blues free to claim the Wellington flanker and Brett, the two most polished jewels in the draft.

"Serge was fantastic for us last year and we would have been more than happy to have him back, but we're excited by Luke Braid," said Foster. "It's an investment in our young talent."

Another player who had been searching for a "hole" at this level was North Harbour No 8 Viliame Ma'afu.

His reaction to taking Lam's call on Tuesday evening?

"I've been waiting for this call for six years," he told Lam. "I won't let you down."

Then the big Harbour loosie burst into tears.