Flanker may pay price for penalties

By WYNNE GRAY

The mop of dreadlocked hair rising from the Blues No 7 jersey this weekend will belong to Craig Newby rather than his Harbour team-mate Matua Parkinson.

Although the Blues side to host the Sharks at Eden Park will not be announced until tomorrow night, there will be some fallout from last week's indisciplined work against the Waratahs.

Parkinson and Troy Flavell were fingered as repeat offenders in the Blues' 16-5 penalty count. Parkinson looks set for the chop, though Flavell may get a reprieve.

The match against the Waratahs was a return to the early rounds of Super 12 confusion when Parkinson and the referees were not on the same wavelength.

Ironically, Parkinson was an isolated star in the dismal effort against the Chiefs, and was rarely penalised.

But a return to the old problems last weekend appears to have cost him his place. At training, Newby swapped from the blindside to openside flank.

Newby is a former national sevens rep who wears the blindside-flanker kit for Harbour, but plays a sort of roving game.

He is used to the scavenging role from sevens and is in the same tough, unyielding mould as Parkinson.

He played openside flanker when he captained Rotorua Boys' High in the national schools final in 1998 and was drafted into the Blues squad this season while Justin Collins recuperated from shoulder surgery.

That has gone well and Collins has resumed club rugby, but is not yet ready for a return to Super 12 action this weekend.

In sifting possible changes at openside, Blues coach Frank Oliver can try Newby, with his greyhound pace and instincts, or go for the equally untried, but more bulky, Xavier Rush.

While Oliver looks to have lost patience with Parkinson, he appears to have offered Flavell a selection lifeline. At the start of the season, both the coach and Flavell thought the All Black forward would benefit the Blues and his career most by playing at blindside flanker.

Injury stymied that idea, but with the erratic Blues results and the larger Sharks pack looming, the plan may be reactivated.

That would allow experienced New Zealand A skipper Glenn Taylor to slot in at lock alongside Robin Brooke to give much more size and lineout choices to the Blues.

Utility back Orene Ai'i may be given a last chance at fullback against the Sharks.

He was uncertain in much of his play last week, but the coaching staff know he can also unlock games with his daring and brilliance.

There is also some selection fallout across the Tasman. Waratahs coach Bob Dwyer has dropped three players involved in the Blues game. He has put wing Brendan Williams on the bench and omitted reserves Fili Finau and Drew Hickey after they missed training in the build-up to their match against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday night.

Williams is the will-of-the-wisp wing or fullback who has impressed with his speed and jinking running. However, Dwyer is well covered with the return from injury of Wallaby wing Scott Staniforth.