KEY POINTS:
Blues flanker Daniel Braid wore a yellow jersey at training this week to depict, like the famous uniform on the Tour de France, someone at the top of their game.
The garb recognised the sustained effort Braid had shown in this year's Super 14 and the way he
had organised the defensive strategies of the Blues. The openside flanker earned the award after an outstanding display against the Waratahs though he admitted he got some help when they, strangely, omitted a specialist flanker from their side.
It was not quite open slather for the opensider as some observers suggested, but Braid did have some natural advantages over the bulky David Lyons last week at Eden Park. Braid's work all round the field was a key factor in the Blues 34-6 victory.
"Our plan was always to play the game at pace and so I thought that would suit me anyway," he recalled. "When they got rid of their openside specialist and put the other guys there we were confident. They were really missing [Phil] Waugh, that hurt them."
There will not be the same leeway for Braid or the Blues tomorrow in Hamilton when the Chiefs wheel out Marty Holah in the No 7 uniform.
"It will be totally different," said Braid, "the Waratahs have a drift defence while the Chiefs use a rush defence. It will be very different but there will be the same opportunities as well."
While most attention on Braid last week concerned his ability to secure turnovers or work as a link on attack, coach David Nucifora was equally effusive about Braid's contribution as the defensive leader. The Blues had only yielded nine tries in eight matches this year and a large chunk of that success was down to Braid's organisation.
"We work pretty hard at it like every team," Braid said. "The weakest points for teams are from set phase in the space between the first five-eighths and the first of the forwards who can get there from scrum or lineout.
"It is very important because if teams do a cut move they can get a real roll on ... it can lead to a real launch of attacks and it is hard to recover. All teams target that area and if a flanker takes off too quickly there can be a big gap there."
Braid said it was his role to organise the defence at the advantage line. He was always talking, looking at how player numbers matched up, what area the opposition looked like they were going to attack, whether they were bringing the blindside wing in or other moves.
"It can get quite complicated but I enjoy all the analysis in the game now, I am very used to it. It is a heck of a different from when I started playing club rugby and we had a couple of trainings during the week and the same calls for ages."
Braid is a stocky 102kg who rates his speed, agility and body position as his best weapons in the fight for possession at the breakdowns. The experience he has gained since his last test at the 2003 World Cup has also boosted his impact.
"Technique is very important, having the leg strength for the awkward positions we get into, we have to be able to lock ourselves down so we don't get knocked out. All the loosies work very hard over the ball, especially all the kiwis and guys like Waugh and David Croft," he said.
The 26-year-old Braid has a target of repeating his last RWC selection when he joined Richie McCaw and Holah in the squad for the tournament in Australia.
"I think I am much better suited to be chosen no. I understand the game and my body a lot more. I also feel I offer much more off the field than I did then ... I was fairly overawed that time."
Halfway through this Super 14 campaign, Braid said the Blues were feeling optimistic. They had worked hard and were getting the rewards."We did not offer enough last year, we did not do the work and there was not such a team feeling. We addressed that."
The arrival of the reconditioned All Blacks had encouraged the deputies to work harder and perform better. "It has made everyone play better but we also know we need the ABs because they are classy players, there is still a long way to go in the season - and we have yet to go to South Africa."
