Inga Tuigamala: Resuming the old red-and-black battle

Opinion

The Blues face a tall order in Christchurch tomorrow night.

On the plus side, they will be taking the Crusaders on fairly early in the season, and this is when the mighty red and black machine is most vulnerable, as the Reds showed a fortnight ago. Richie McCaw, who has such a huge influence on every game in which he plays, is only just making his way back into rugby, so he might not yet be at full throttle.

But still, it is hard to see the Blues winning this clash, no matter how hard I hope that they do.

This is a battle that sends tingles down the spine, the resumption of an old rivalry from the days when it involved Auckland and Canterbury rather than the Blues and Crusaders.

The staunch home-town support has played a big part in the success of the Crusaders, and will be another factor for the Blues to contend with.

I thought the Blues would be pipped in Brisbane last week and was proved wrong. Maybe I'm a slow learner, but I'm still to be convinced by this Blues lineup and especially for the sort of assignment they face in Christchurch.

This team isn't experienced enough to come through a situation like this and win on a ground where the Crusaders hardly ever lose, a stadium where Richie McCaw and Dan Carter reign supreme.

Todd Blackadder looks to have the Crusaders back humming like the Crusaders of old.

Their traditional methods involve suffocating the life out of opponents, never giving them a break and feeding off errors. And a problem for this Blues team is they are still a team that is a bit error-prone.

This will be a huge test for the Blues' new first five-eighths Stephen Brett, who will be returning to his home patch. He will inevitably be compared to the brilliant Carter.

As for McCaw's return to the starting lineup: we can expect business as usual from the great All Black.

There is one intriguing aspect for McCaw, and that is how he adapts to the new tackle rule. He is outstanding at making tackles and immediately disputing possession, but must adjust to an interpretation that will affect his ability to do this seamlessly.

Will his effectiveness be blunted, you wonder? McCaw is so good, and such an intelligent footballer, I doubt it.

Adding to the intrigue, the presence of openside George Whitelock means McCaw will operate on the blindside.

No matter. This guy is good enough to play superbly in any of the loose forward positions, but for my money he remains vital in the No 7 jersey for the All Blacks, despite conjecture he could be shifted.