Blues captain Augustine Pulu (left) and head coach Tana Umaga talk to the media during a Blues pre-season training session this morning. Photo / Getty Images.
Blues captain Augustine Pulu (left) and head coach Tana Umaga talk to the media during a Blues pre-season training session this morning. Photo / Getty Images.
Augustine Pulu has been confirmed as Blues captain for next season, a decision coach Tana Umaga believes was necessary to take the franchise to the next level.
As revealed by the Herald four weeks ago, the leadership shown by halfback Pulu this year has been rewarded, although the 27-year-old south Aucklander thought Umaga was joking when the coach first talked to him about his new role.
"I wasn't too sure if he was being serious or not but the second time I met him it finally hit me," Pulu, who has played two tests for the All Blacks, said. "It's an honour and a privilege to lead this club. I'm not going to do everything myself, I'm expecting everyone to be side by side with me."
The Counties player, who may miss the Blues' first pre-season match in January due to a suspension for a high tackle late in the Mitre 10 Cup competition, was one of Umaga's most consistent players this year.
Umaga believes the extra responsibility will get the best out of Pulu, who shared the captaincy duties at Counties with Blues teammate Jimmy Tupou, but probably just as important will be Pulu's ability to relate to the younger players in the squad.
Pulu will take over from James Parsons as skipper, the hooker taking over from Jerome Kaino following a series of injuries to the All Black loose forward.
New Blues captain August Pulu in action at pre-season training in Auckland earlier today. Photo / Getty Images.
"He invokes support within the group… he has great support from the senior players and the younger players," Umaga said. "We have a wide and diverse group here in terms of age and we have to make sure everyone's included – not right now but also developing those leaders for the future.
"That's what we're expecting. Through our talks with Augustine we know he's a very proud man and he knows the responsibility that comes with leadership and captaincy and he doesn't shirk those duties, especially when it comes to on-field leadership.
"In James and Jerome we also have strong leaders who can assist him. That will happen well for us."
There have been other changes at the franchise as Umaga prepares for this third season in charge. Dave Ellis, the Blues' skills coach, will take over the attack duties from Umaga, who will take more of an overseeing role, and former All Black Ben Afeaki has been appointed scrum coach.
Pulu, an often fiery player, has vowed not to change too much about his game, but Umaga will be hoping his team's winning record does. The Blues finished ninth this year and haven't made the playoffs since 2011.
He hopes tweaking elements of his leadership and coaching team will bring the success he, the Blues, and the franchise's long-suffering supporters crave. He is clearly aware of the hoary old definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
"In our reviews, which we've stated before, we talked about leadership," Umaga said. "We had a long think about that process of assessing our group and it come out unanimously that Augustine is the one we want to follow.
"We want to get better, there's no doubt about it, and if we keep thinking about doing the same thing and getting a different result – it doesn't happen like that."
