Rugby: Kaino playing it fast and loose

Jerome Kaino has reasserted himself to overcome injuries and self-confidence issues since his 2004 bow for the All Blacks. Photo / Brett Phibbs

There is no let-up in the comparisons. A few weeks back it was Adam Thomson, last game there was Richie McCaw and, tonight, Rocky Elsom appears in the No6 jersey with his brand of loose-forward firepower.

All internationals - and all with ambitions of shading the Blues blindside flanker Jerome Kaino.

It is an unrelenting measure for the 26-year-old Kaino; a gauge of his mental clout as much as his physical limits with the Super 14 still shy of its half-way point.

Kaino was first taken on an All Blacks tour in 2004, but injuries and self-confidence issues bit into his career until he began to reassert himself in the last few seasons.

He is one of the influential men in the Blues pack - a sort of touchpaper for their production. The same applies to Elsom, his Brumbies opponent who has risen to be an aggressive and skilful Wallabies captain.

"The Brumbies have a whole range of good players but Elsom's transfer had made a huge difference to them," Kaino said. "We have noticed that already. He loves to get the ball in his hands, he is a very physical player he loves that contact and looks to have improved a lot since he went away to play for Leinster.

"In my eyes he was the player of the tournament in the European Cup," Kaino said.

The 112kg Elsom covered the ground at a fair speed and, if the Blues want to stay in the game, Kaino said he and his loosies need to match the contributions from Elsom, George Smith and Stephen Hoiles.

The Brumbies had been similar to the Blues this season. "They have got the fire-power, they have shown they can play but they have been unable to lock games down for a long period and display their potential," Kaino said.

"That is quite similar to how we have been travelling this season. It is hard to know why at times, we have spluttered.

"But we would like to nail this one though to celebrate Kevvie's [Mealamu] 100th game for the Blues."

Kaino said any rivals with a world-class loose-forward combination and Matt Giteau and Adam Ashley-Cooper to run their backline would be a handful.

"We want to shut down their key players and we want to be the team that shines," said Kaino.

"When we get a roll on, I think the guys tend to relax, and we have seen in our last few games that straight after we have scored, the other teams do as well. So we need to keep the foot on the throttle and just keep going without easing off."

In recent years, Kaino has switched between No8 and blindside for the Blues, but this season he has steadied in his All Blacks flanker role.

"So far so good," he said.

"But being a senior player in the Blues, it is not good enough to be happy with that or coasting. I have to keep pushing myself and leading the forwards and asking them to follow me.

"Blindside is a big work-rate position. Defence is a huge part of that role and it shows with all the other guys who play in that position for the New Zealand teams. It just lifts the bar and when you look across at what they are doing you have to lift even more."

So does he spend hours dissecting his form and that of his rivals on tape? "Not all the time, but when I feel I have given 100 per cent in a game and it has not quite worked out, then I will go back to the tape and see what has gone on and how others like Richie are playing," he said.

He has felt in good shape this year. He has not been battling shoulder problems which had blighted some of his other seasons and enjoyed his off-season.

He is fit and enjoying his leadership role alongside Mealamu.

"I always want to improve and having the tag of being an inconsistent player, that is what is driving me to get out there and improve."