KEY POINTS:
There was a time when you could cause a serious flutter in the strongest hearts with the words Troy Flavell.
Still can, actually.
"Is he going to lose his rag this season?" an office sports nut inquires in a trembling voice upon hearing the Herald is about to interview the new Blues captain.
Reputations die hard, and Flavell's live on.
Truth be told, some folks believed that what lurked within Flavell was an All Black get-out-of-jail card when the men in black kept running up the white flag.
The opposite camp would have you believe that Flavell should be in leg irons.
He's a footballer who divides opinions, although no one has doubted his toughness and athletic ability over the years.
Mr Flavell hasn't actually bothered the judiciary for a while, although he didn't have much of a chance last year.
A ruptured left shoulder tendon meant he played just a handful of games for the Blues plus a couple of tests against Ireland, which ended his five-year international hiatus.
Lo and behold the baddest boy of New Zealand rugby has been made captain of the Blues.
Flavell replaces Keven Mealamu, one of four Blues players in Graham Henry's World Cup-protected squad.
So is David Nucifora playing with Flavell's fire? Had the coach gone cold on Mealamu's captaincy anyway after a soggy six-win 2006 season, which left them in eighth place?
And most importantly, will the captaincy inspire the best out of a man who has tended to stomp on his own career, and ignite the Blues in the process?
Flavell actually has form, and not the sort that springs to most minds.
All Black legend and former North Harbour coach Wayne Shelford installed Flavell as his captain for the 2000 NPC season.
The 30-year-old Flavell is a laconic interview subject and you could write his memories of that year on the back of a postage stamp (kids, ask your parents about postage stamps).
But he's got no doubts about the importance of the upcoming season in his controversial career.
First things first. People want to know if you are going to lose your rag this season?
There will be sceptics but I'm not too worried about that. As leader of the team, I've got to lead my team well. I'm not as ... what's the word for it ... aggressive as I used to be perhaps. In the past, I've probably been guilty of trying to take too much on myself.
Regrets perhaps - you've had a few?
Yeah, but that's the same for everyone. A couple of incidents, I'm not going to go into them, but you know them as well as I do. But definitely, I regret them and they didn't do much for my career. You can't do much about them either and they're not things I dwell on.
What sort of captain do you hope to be?
One who leads by example, from the front.
Did you seek the captaincy?
We have a strong leadership group - myself, Justin Collins, Steve Devine, Nick White, Doug Howlett and Kevvy when he gets back. We decided that we needed a captain from day one to carry us through and when the opportunity arose, I put my hand up. It's something I wanted.
Inspired by good memories of the North Harbour captaincy?
I really enjoyed the challenge back then - I enjoy added pressure. Looking back, though, maybe I was too young. Good memories? Ummm ... not really. We didn't do that well. Bad memories? Ummm ... hard to think back that far, to be honest.
Let us know if those 2000 memories come flooding back. Moving on: Are you a lock or loose forward this season?
Definitely lock until round eight, when the ABs are back. Then we'll see what happens when Ali Williams returns. Still no preference - the positions overlap a bit these days. It's changed over the years - it's not unusual to find a lock standing at the back of the lineout now.
Were you worried about your career after needing shoulder surgery?
I was lucky in that Sione Lauaki had exactly the same injury a few months before me, so it was encouraging to see him come back to NPC level as soon as he did and play well. We had the same surgeon. I was told there was a chance I wouldn't regain maximum strength, which was a worry. I'm at about 95 per cent ... I'm not sure if the final bit will come back.
The thought of pushing for a World Cup spot should provide the final five per cent.
I've set my sights on that. It's a driving force for me. I have to play well from the first game to the last in this competition to put my hand up. It's a make-or-break year for me, definitely. I'm not getting any younger. It's my last chance at a World Cup, and my last chance to be an All Black again. I have to give it everything. I'm desperate to go to this World Cup.
So, would you like to be duking it out with Chris Jack and co from the get-go in the Super 14? What gives with the All Black resting policy?
I'm all in favour of it. The guys being rested have come off a huge season and if we want to win this World Cup, we want players who are fresh. They are our top players - no doubt about that. They need to be fresh physically and mentally.
You'll be without forwards Keven Mealamu, Ali Williams, Tony Woodcock and wing Joe Rokocoko for eight rounds. Your tight five has become a tight two.
They'll leave a big gap but we've got the guys to fill that. One thing to our advantage is the guys missing aren't in key decision-making roles.
Some of the Blues fans might be making key decisions about whether to turn up, given that they are often let down?
We are a team that has underachieved over the years and the team itself realises that. We've done a lot of hard work off the field in that regard ... Something different we've done is have sessions with an Australian sports psychologist as a team and individually.
It's all about accountability. We're a lot more aware of how we want to be perceived by the public, what kind of team we think we are, and how we want to play.
Specifics? What happened on the Aussie's couch?
It's not for the paper.
Be a sport - don't shrink from the shrink question.
All I'll say is that the guys have made huge improvements on last year.
Tale of the tape
Province: Auckland
Age: 30
Height: 1.95m
Weight: 118kg
Tests: 17 (2000-2006)
Test tries: 6
Super games: 54 (debut - 1998 for Chiefs)
Super tries: 8
Provincial games: 59 (North Harbour 1997-2003)
Provincial tries: 12
Blues 2006 record: 6 wins, 7 losses, 8th.
