The Blues had a visitor at training today - NFL player Rhett Ellison, a young man with a strong link to New Zealand rugby who thinks the American game can learn valuable lessons in how to tackle without pads and helmets.
Ellison, 26, a tightend for the Minnesota Vikings and son of Riki, a New Zealander who won two Super Bowl titles with San Francisco in the 1980s, is also related to Tom Ellison, the first All Black captain.
In New Zealand to attend a relative's wedding, Rhett, who went to primary school in Christchurch for three years before moving back to the United States, dropped in on the Blues' training at North Harbour with dad Riki, making waves with the players including Charles Piutau, a keen Seattle Seahawks fan.
Rhett, who is of a similar height and build as All Black loose forward Jerome Kaino, didn't profess to know a lot about rugby, although he did watch last year's All Blacks v USA test in Chicago on television. Asked about the concussion issues prevalent in both sports, he said: "A few teams, including the Seahawks, are actually teaching their guys rugby techniques. And you can see the difference in how their defence tackles compared to most teams.
"Obviously if you're tackling the right way you're reducing the risk of concussion, but the thing is when you wear all those pads you feel invincible so you're just throwing your body around - especially at NFL level. It's not about technique it's about letting these guys make plays however they do it. A lot of teams are taking the initiative of learning proper techniques and going back to the basics."
According to figures released in England recently, the number of concussions reported within professional rugby union has almost tripled over the past three years. In the United States, a group of more than 4,500 former players have sued the NFL, saying it hid the dangers of concussion-related trauma. A $US1billion payout is said to be imminent.
Blues coach John Kirwan later said he had had a conversation with Ellison around the same topic, saying those wishing to mirror rugby techniques in the NFL focused on keeping their feet on the ground and getting close to a player before making a tackle, rather than "flying in".
Rhett Ellison said he was proud of his connection to the All Blacks and learned about it last year when he was in New Zealand. "What's been cool is learning that history and trying to connect with it as much as possible," he said.
He will start training again with the Vikings next week after having ankle surgery over the off-season, which, compared to rugby is considerable. "Officially we don't start until the end of April. From now until then you have to get in shape on your own.
"It's pretty easy to get out of shape with that much time off. In the rugby world you never have an off season like that which is insane - I don't know how these guys play so many games in such a physical sport and stay healthy. If anything the NFL could take note of that and see what you guys are doing over here."