Talent heading for exit queues

Was there a ripple of intrigue about Francis Saili’s exit for Munster or simply accepting gestures that it was time for the Blues midfield back to move on.

Have we become so hardened to players heading for overseas contracts that unless it is a young man on the rise like Charles Piutau or a legend like Daniel Carter, we take in the announcement and move on.

Departures are becoming more frequent, certainly at the Blues, who have yet to shift the doughnut from their wins column.

While captain Jerome Kaino has signed up for more and Steven Luatua will do the same today, a quartet of their teammates are joining the exit queues.

Wing Frank Halai and loose forward Luke Braid have been joined by Piutau and now Saili in moving their talents abroad. Three All Blacks and another top-grade performer.

Saili, like Halai, has been an unfulfilled talent since he made his debut for the Blues in 2012 and had such a stellar following year he was picked for two All Black tests.

His form after that has been erratic with injury, then the late addition of Ma’a Nonu to the Blues last season, biting into his season. Saili has not threatened a wider All Black squad since, not when they have the choice of Nonu, Sonny Bill Williams, Ryan Crotty, Daniel Carter and Malakai Fekitoa at second five-eighths.

The 24-year-old is part of the wider malaise at the Blues where he’ll put on several strong plays and then spoil them with some basic mistake or poor choice. He has some marvellous touches but his game has struggled to move to another level.

Saili has dancing feet and the sort of quickstep moves that leave inattentive or awkward defenders flailing at his disappearing frame. He’s a nuggety defender and forceful in the important midfield collisions.

His instincts are about attack but those impulses can narrow his vision and restrict the Blues’ ambition. He needs to work on greater variety in his game to extract more benefit for the team.

If he’d had an experienced fiveeighths and centre to mentor him at the Blues, Saili’s talent might have got the guidance it needed.

He will shoot away to a two-year deal at Munster where his attacking skills and left foot punt are likely to be gold in the gloom at Thomond Park.