Rugby: Braid all too aware of danger from Blues

Daniel Braid. Photo / Getty Images

The Blues know a great deal about breakaway Daniel Braid but have yet to test their former comrade's class.

The openside flanker slipped on the Reds uniform last season but ruptured his Achilles tendon and missed fronting his old team.

A year on, Braid has the vice-captaincy as he readies for the Blues challenge on Saturday at Ballymore.

Braid is buoyed by the changed emphasis on the breakdown laws which he believes will suit his style of switching between link man and ball pilferer.

"I'm really enjoying the style. It's back to 2003 with a lot of continuity play," Braid told the Brisbane Courier Mail. "The link game was a big part of my game and I like that chance to mix it up in attack."

For six years, when his form and fitness allowed, Braid was the main opensider for the Blues and occasional deputy to national captain Richie McCaw, before he switched his allegiance across the ditch.

Braid's involvement was curtailed last year by injury but his influence has been recognised with promotion to help new skipper Will Genia after the season-ending knee damage for James Horwill.

In team talks, Braid has been emphasising the danger from his former colleagues if the Reds do not concentrate for the entire game. The Blues will have to deal with conditions forecast to be more humid than normal with kickoff an hour earlier.

New Blues loosie Serge Lilo is tipped to be the man sent into openside battle with Braid, with the Blues determined their trio will deliver more heat against the hosts than the Crusaders did last week.

The Blues will be without centre Isaia Toeava when they name their side today with Rene Ranger his likely replacement.

Scans and x-rays on Toeava's hip have shown few clues to the pain which forced him from the field last week in Dunedin. Toeava suffered a stress fracture in his hip which eliminated him from the All Blacks end of year tour but there is no evidence to connect the problems.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders have reclaimed lock Brad Thorn and prop Wyatt Crockett for tomorrow's match against the winless Sharks but have resisted starting All Black captain Richie McCaw after the hiccup in Brisbane.

The Crusaders played very poorly in their 41-20 loss to the Reds last week but coach Todd Blackadder has kept George Whitelock in the openside role though McCaw, no doubt, will get a fair run in the second half.

"It was always planned to have Richie back this week and to put him on the bench and we're not going to change that philosophy."