Lee's ascent has mark of Mitchell

By CHRIS RATTUE

There was a very strong suggestion when Danny Lee moved from Counties Manukau to Otago that All Blacks coach John Mitchell played a part in the halfback's decision.

It's hard to pin these influences down. Central Control cannot be seen to be herding - even if a prospective test player needs to be guided out of the NPC second division.

After sharing the NPC season with Byron Kelleher at Otago, Lee is now in the All Blacks squad.

It was under Mitchell, and then Kevin Greene, that Lee emerged as the Chiefs' top halfback, usurping the more erratic game of Rhys Duggan.

The 26-year-old Lee, who comes originally from Hawkes Bay, may have been the No 1 halfback at the Chiefs, yet his interests were best served by taking on All Black Kelleher at Otago and the Highlanders. Lee made the move and it paid off yesterday, giving further credence to the rumours of Mitchell's influence.

Lee's selection is extremely significant, more so than simply a player replacing or filling in for Justin Marshall, Byron Kelleher and Mark Robinson. Lee breaks the All Blacks' halfback mould.

For a start, he is a smaller build than Marshall, Kelleher and Robinson. Like all top players in his position, he is tough, but his game is not built around muscular charges or big-hit tackles.

Lee excels in getting to the breakdowns and either freeing the ball for a backline, or timing his pass to a runner close to the rucks. In other words, the George Gregan game.

Insiders at Otago say that for all of Kelleher's fighting qualities, those are areas where his game can break down. Lee was always going to be more than a back-up to Kelleher.

The halfback needs to be the oil in the wheels, otherwise the major parts in the Machine can jam and grind to a halt.

Moments after hearing of his selection, Lee said his move to Otago had been "one of those gambles about life, rugby, careers".

"I was four years old when I first watched my two older brothers play, and people said I was a real handful on the sideline. I wanted to get involved," he said.

"This had been a dream of mine for 20-odd years."

Among those sharing the joy of a dream fulfilled are Lee's parents Bill and Raewyn, who have constantly been in the crowd at his games - even travelling from Havelock North to his new rugby home in the deep south.

"Their support has meant so much to me. My dad was a club player ... he's never stopped giving good advice about how to play the game," said Lee.

Lee believes the national selectors may be looking for a different type of test halfback.

"Marshall and Kelleher are strong runners of the ball but maybe they are looking for something different.

"They've got their style of game, I've got mine. I suppose I am more of the Gregan game, but I like to think I've developed my own game. It's about a high workrate, always getting to the rucks, clearing the ball well, those sorts of things."

Lee believes that years of playing in battling teams helped him find ways to clear the ball from swirling scrums and the tangle of legs at rucks.

There were many tricks of the trade in extricating the ball from rucks.

"The first rule is to get a firm grip on the ball before the next move," he said.

The big question is whether Lee will get a firm grip on the test halfback job.