Comeback kings will spur Blues

After three troubled seasons the Blues are ready to resurrect their fortunes. With recovery as the theme, it's kind of handy the Blues have selected a host of individuals who have clawed their way back from the brink of extinction.

Rudi Wulf's career was in the balance when he broke his neck diving into a pool in 2005. Derren Witcombe broke his neck when twisted in a scrum playing against Canterbury in last year's NPC and David Gibson needed two major operations and two years to fix his neck.

Then there was Justin Collins who spent two years playing with heart fibrillation, only to get it fixed, fully recover and then snap an Achilles. Troy Flavell missed most of this season to get his bicep fixed while Angus MacDonald has not played since March when he incurred serious knee ligament damage.

The guts and character to recover from those injuries will need to come to the fore if the Blues are going to finally deliver on all that promise.

It might even be worthwhile for coach David Nucifora to get Wulf, Witcombe, Gibson and Collins to tell their comeback stories to the squad. Wulf's in particular is one of those inspirational, feel-good yarns.

At just 20 he was in the Blues squad, New Zealand Sevens and Colts teams. The rugby world was at his feet and then he dived into a swimming pool at the Poenamo Hotel in Northcote while with the Colts squad.

"I dived in about the middle of the pool and hit my head on the bottom. I should have checked because it was quite shallow. I was lucky I didn't knock myself out. I got out straightaway and went up to my room. I had a cut in my head that needed a few stitches and I thought that was it.

"The team doctor thought I might have a bit of whiplash but the following morning I couldn't move when I woke up. I was taken to the hospital and then I knew it was really serious. They were worried I was paralysed."

He spent three months bed-ridden. Though the fractured vertebrae looked good when the brace came off, Wulf spent 11 months on the sidelines before the all-clear.

"It took a lot for me to get my motivation back but I was determined to make it back into the North Harbour team. Being selected for the Blues is more than I ever wanted."

Joe Rokocoko is out for conditioning until April, so Wulf has a chance to establish himself. As does Witcombe, the only specialist hooker until Keven Mealamu returns.

Witcombe is acutely aware that next season will be a golden opportunity to remind the All Black selectors of his scrummaging power and impact at the tackled ball.

Regular prop Saimone Taumoepeau will back up at hooker, a scenario that excites as much as it concerns. Taumoepeau can add scrummaging and ball-running impact, but may find the lineout work difficult.

Collins, who only found out he was in the night before the squad was announced, reckons he's about 90 per cent recovered and will make up the remaining 10 per cent during the pre-season.

He took up the final place in a forward selection that is high on versatility but might perhaps be lacking in real authority at the lineout with Greg Rawlinson the only specialist lock until Ali Williams returns.