Rugby: Braid the insider provides the intel

Daniel Braid has provided insight on the Reds for the Blues, while it can be expected Mike Harris will have done the same for the Reds. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Bluff, double-bluff, illusion, smoke and mirrors - theories oscillate about the intelligence the Blues and Reds have on each other for tonight's duel in Brisbane.

Mike Harris and Daniel Braid were with the opposing franchises last season and will have a feel for their rivals' style and strategies.

Both will have been tapped for that information this week although neither is starting, with Braid returning from injury and on the Blues bench behind younger brother Luke, and Harris not available because of some serious damage.

The Reds, said Braid, offered a few mirages around their uncomplicated patterns.

"It looks off the cuff when they throw it round but there is a set pattern they like getting into," he said.

"They like to play and use Quade [Cooper] and Will [Genia], who are good decision-makers. The backs have flair, the forwards run very good lines and control possession well.

"They are pretty basic in the way that they play. You can see that, they just do it very well. The halves know what they are doing, they get guys running into the right spots. It is there to be seen, it is just a matter of whether you can stop it."

Braid had given his thoughts to the Blues coaching staff this week and they had the benefit of rewinding the tapes from the sides' previous match last month. The messages were simple and cohesive.

"The advice is you can't go out of your way individually to stop anyone," Braid explained.

"It is about stopping them as a group, halting their collective forward effort, stopping their go-forward."

Braid had a two-year stint with the Reds before returning for Auckland and the Blues to shoot for a World Cup place. His place had gone to Beau Robinson, who had upped his game and recovered from a serious elbow injury for this semifinal.

"He has slotted in well, he is an angry ginger and very good. The Reds use the opensider as a tweener who collects the ball and releases it to Quade Cooper."

Ewen McKenzie was a coach who did a great deal of analysis and did not waste his words. He was solid, hard on the side and demanding.

"He looks in at the key things which make things tick and he will have some things planned for us, maybe round kickoff and a few other bits, no doubt about that," said Braid.

Both teams would need tight defence, teamwork and had to be wary of overreading parts of the match. If they did that they risked being stung somewhere else.

Braid was busting to play against his old team and thought he would share some serious matchtime with his younger brother.

"He has been going more than all right, though, and making it tough for me. Hopefully the pace of game will mean we need fresh subs.

"It will be a close game and the team which holds the possession best will come out on top. If we can frustrate them a bit, that will help but it does that to any side."