The Blues: More
5. Now’s not the time to pick holes in the Sunwolves’ policy of selecting so many overseas players.
Leave that for later. Anyway, here’s a list of some Kiwis in the Japanese-based team: Rene Ranger, Phil Burleigh, Michael Little, Jason Emery, Dan Pryor and Hayden Parker all go okay. And let’s not forget captain Michael Leitch, now the leader of the national side. Or their new coach, former All Black Tony Brown.
6. It won’t only be the Blues marketing team who are celebrating Ma’a Nonu’s return to the club (for a third time, no less). Media types swooped in when the former All Blacks midfield ace was up for an interview recently, and said, in a roundabout way, he would like to push for a place in the World Cup squad.
Sonny Bill Williams must have enjoyed that. The presence of Nonu will possibly allow Williams to glide under the radar a bit more this season.
It will depend on Nonu’s form. If the 36-year old struggles, the expectation on Williams to hold the backline together will grow.
7. Speaking of Nonu and Williams . . .
They form a diminishing group of men from the 2011 All Blacks’ World Cup squad who are still involved in Super Rugby. The others are Stephen Donald, Still, they may not be thrilled when sweating buckets during their game against the Sunwolves in muggy Singapore. Summer rugby in Asia? Madness. And the Sharks will have to do without talented No 10 Curwin Bosch who has a shoulder injury.
10. Last year the Chiefs proved their resilience by refusing to allow injuries to their props to drag them down.
Now they have been offered another bite of the cherry of misfortune. The Chiefs have had to name Orbyn Leger in the less familiar position of No 10. Tiaan Falcon has already been wiped out with a ruptured Achilles tendon, and the McKenzie brothers, Damian and Marty, have ankle and hip injuries. Jack Debreczeni (abdominal strain) is also unavailable. The Blues have been stuck in a rugby version of Groundhog Day for what seems like forever. Every year round the start of the southern hemisphere’s premer franchise competition the chat starts that this is their season, and every time they come out and fail abysmally.
Little wonder Blues fans have become conditioned not just to watching the Super Rugby playoffs from in front of their tellys, but to being perpetually let down by their bonehead side.
Question: What do you call a Blues fan with semifinal tickets? Answer: A neutral.
It has been eight years since the franchise last participated in the post-season and 16 since they lifted the silverware.
The last decade has been spent almost entirely wallowing in ignominy: for five straight years they have been Kiwi conference wooden-spooners and had just one campaign with a winning record in the last seven.
That’s probably why there’s a