KEY POINTS:
It's clearly not much fun living in Richie McCaw's shadow.
Last week Marty Holah decided he'd had enough of playing second fiddle to the All Blacks captain and committed his future to Welsh club Ospreys.
It would be no surprise if Daniel Braid, the Aucklander rated by many as the next best genuine openside in the New Zealand game, went the same way.
With Braid's NZRU contract up at the end of the year, New Zealand rugby might be about to pay the price for McCaw's pre-eminence.
Coupled with McCaw's impregnable status, the All Blacks selectors' preference for the makeshift Chris Masoe instead of a specialist backup openside hasn't left the likes of Braid, who played the last of his three tests in 2003, feeling overly optimistic about their prospects.
"I can't really say I'm number two if I'm not in the World Cup squad - it doesn't mean anything," Braid said when asked where he thought he ranked following Holah's news.
"I'd hope after a good Super 14 and through the Junior [All Blacks] that I'd be up there. But with Richie there at number one in the All Blacks and captain it is pretty tough for any seven that is in behind him. If he is fit and healthy he is going to be playing 80 minutes."
Auckland coach Pat Lam is clearly impressed with Braid's development. Following last weekend's victory over Waikato, when Braid got his hands on almost as much Waikato ball as their halfback Brendon Leonard, Lam took the unusual step of singling him out for praise for improving that area of his game.
Lam's opposite in that encounter, Waikato coach Warren Gatland, was also impressed, saying Braid "hit more rucks than our entire team".
"It was probably one of the best performances I've seen from him," Gatland said.
"I think he is one of the frontrunners. Obviously they are looking at Masoe but there aren't a lot of genuine sevens around the country, and he's had a bit of experience."
Braid, too, believes he is hitting his peak.
"I'm feeling really strong at the breakdown. Physically I'm as fit and strong as I've ever been. I think that's really helped with getting in and being able to stay in at the breakdown and keeping my head down to steal some of those balls."
The way Braid is talking, however, those enhanced skills may be earning him a crust elsewhere in the not too distant future. At 26, he would offer best value to a cash-rich European club right now.
He thinks long and hard when asked whether Holah's departure has had an impact on his thinking.
"Um ... maybe it takes away another competitor, but with Richie being so dominant it makes it tough, especially with the signs the All Blacks coaches have given with not taking another specialist seven to sit in behind Richie."
Much of the looming post-World Cup exodus from these shores is being driven by the completion of the four-year Cup cycle. That exodus will open doors for those who remain but Braid said he wasn't thinking that long-term.
"At any stage I'd like to get back into the black jersey but it's got to the stage where I am a professional, this is my career and I'll go where is best for me.
"It is a decision I am going to have to make. I guess we'll see. I'm still in negotiations."
For now, at least, Braid is thriving in the Auckland environment.
"I've enjoyed the way we've been playing for the last couple of years. It is exciting, you can use all your skills. I've heard people say it is all-out attack but we look for where the opportunities are."
The prospect of experiencing life overseas is tempting, he admits, but it's not like the 61-cap Auckland veteran has tired of his current surrounds.
"I don't think I'm too stale here. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing. I think everyone here enjoys what they're doing and it really shows in the way we are playing."
Daniel Braid
Age: 26
Height: 1.86m
Weight: 102kg
Position: Openside flanker
Auckland caps: 61
Tries: 14
Blues caps: 51
Tries: 6
Tests: 3
