Opinion
At the time I was disappointed to see Robbie Fruean miss the end-of-year tour to the United Kingdom. I thought he had done enough for Canterbury to mark himself out as a player of rare promise.
Now, however, it might work in the All Blacks' favour. This is World Cup
year, there are no second chances. If you're in form you'll get picked. He is in form so must be knocking on the door.
In World Cup year a superstar will be born and emerge out of nowhere. I hope that person will be Fruean.
I don't want to sound like I'm raving on about him, but I can see talent and I know x-factor when I see it and this guy has got it. He could light up this World Cup. He breaks through defenders with ease because he's big, fast and robust. He's also a very intelligent player. I hope Graham Henry keeps his eye on him because Fruean could be a fantastic specialist centre or, if needed, a utility.
If the Crusaders midfielder is the player who has caught my eye early, then I can't go past the Highlanders as the team to watch.
Last week I gave a plug to my old teammate Jamie Joseph and the job he's done down there. That was before they met the Bulls in Pretoria and in all honesty I thought the dream run would end at Loftus Versfeld.
After watching them beat the Bulls by playing fantastic rugby with old-fashioned values, I've got the distinct feeling they can continue to ride this wave and keep this momentum going. They've been the surprise team so far, no doubt and Joseph has to be commended for his take-no-prisoners attitude. They're proving the doubters wrong.
The big difference between this Highlander team and its recent predecessors is these guys believe they can beat the best. The Chiefs, the Hurricanes and the Bulls - these are all good teams. They might not be the biggest, or the most entertaining, but they are showing consistency.
At the moment they're the feel-good story of the year. Whether they can sustain it all season is another matter, but while they're on this wave, ride it.
