The New Zealand Herald

Pulu could be key to overdue Blues revival

Halfback led the way in setting expectatio­ns during pre-season

- Patrick McKendry

In trying to rid the Blues of their underachie­vers’ tag, coach Tana Umaga’s best signing for this season might be Augustine Pulu, a halfback with a ruthless attitude off the field, as well as on it.

It has been the 27-year-old former Chiefs player, along with senior forwards Jimmy Tupou and James Parsons, who has been setting the expectatio­ns and standards during pre-season, according to insiders.

There has been no sense of the squad drifting along and waiting for their All Blacks to return before putting the season’s foundation­s in place.

Pulu and fellow Counties player Tupou, a lock who has also made a homecoming of sorts in joining the Blues from the Crusaders and who will lead the team against the Rebels in Melbourne tonight, have been instrument­al in adding a harder edge to the franchise’s Alexandra Park HQ.

The team’s long-suffering supporters will hope that brings tangible benefits this season, Umaga’s second at the franchise.

For Pulu, the link with Umaga, the former Counties coach who gave him his first opportunit­y in the national provincial competitio­n as a 19-yearold, is important.

The former All Blacks captain has had a huge influence on the south Aucklander’s career and for that, he is understand­ably thankful.

After languishin­g as the No 3 halfback at the Chiefs behind Brad Weber and Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Pulu now has an ideal opportunit­y to take his career back to where it was in 2014, when he played two tests for the All Blacks on the team’s northern tour.

He is a muscular No 9 — his defence has been noticeable in pre-season, just as it was against Scotland at Murrayfiel­d in his last test, when he came on as a replacemen­t and put an enormous hit on an unsuspecti­ng attacker.

And he is also a threat with the ball, a characteri­stic which Umaga will hope provides first-five Ihaia West with a little more space and time.

Given the power and pace among the Blues loose forwards and midfield, Pulu’s ability to spark attacks by getting in behind the defence should put all teams on red alert.

West will probably be assured of the No 10 jersey until April, but the return of second-five Sonny Bill Williams from injury could lead to Piers Francis, who will start in the midfield at AAMI Park alongside Rieko Ioane, putting increasing pressure on the first-five.

Pulu is also adaptable — he shone with the national sevens team last year despite not having a big background in the shortened format of the game — and said his time with the squad has helped his overall game.

“We all know that sevens and the fitness base [it requires] is a different ball game,” he said this week.

“It has helped me. Coming back to 15s, I feel a bit sharper.”

A sharp halfback is usually a dangerous one, and as Umaga seeks to start the new season in the best way possible against a team with its own consistenc­y issues, he will look to Pulu to set the standards.

 ??  ?? Ben Matulino is on an antibiotic drip as he battles an infection.
Ben Matulino is on an antibiotic drip as he battles an infection.

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