John Kirwan's decision to replace first-five Ihaia West with Dan Bowden for tonight's match against the defending champion Waratahs could be seen as either a pragmatic move or a desperate last throw of the dice.
In reality, it's probably both. West, a good ball runner when on his game, looked promising in his debut season last year at the Blues - especially when coming into a match already in full flow. However, this season as a starting No10 he has struggled to set the agenda for a team unable to consistently break down opposition defences despite the undoubted firepower outside him in Charles Piutau, Frank Halai and Lolagi Visinia.
West's decision making is his biggest problem, something highlighted in the Blues' last loss against the Hurricanes in Palmerston North when, from an attacking scrum in the opening minutes, he chose a low-percentage option of a grubber kick behind the defence. It wasn't the obvious one and maybe that was the point of it, but the threat was too easily snuffed out and the Hurricanes quickly put enormous pressure on the Blues before the visitors began their ultimately doomed fightback.
Now it's Bowden's turn for the hot-seat, a problem position for the Blues for many years as their long-suffering supporters know only too well. When was the last time they had a world class first-five? Carlos Spencer, who played his last game for the Blues in 2005? Their rebuffed approaches to other quality No10s have now become legend - Jonny Wilkinson and Dan Carter among them.
So, Bowden, fit again after a foot injury in a pre-season match, is the latest in a long line of No10s effectively tried and discarded at the Blues. Benji Marshall, Chris Noakes and Simon Hickey were all tried last year but came up short. Baden Kerr would have been given a go too if it wasn't for some terrible luck with a hand injury which refused to settle.
