Rugby: Faumuina ready for tough job on the other side

Charlie Faumuina faces a duel when he packs down as loosehead prop against Crusaders hardman Owen Franks. Photo / Getty Images

He is one big unit, another of the quietly-spoken frontrowers in the Super 15 tournament.

Charlie Faumuina is listed at 125kg and there isn't a ripple of flab under his Blues uniform.

He is usually a tighthead prop, but with All Black John Afoa in that role tomorrow, Faumuina will step out on Fraser Park in Timaru as loosehead where he is set for a duel against All Black hardman Owen Franks.

The Crusaders are a big enough challenge for the Blues and Faumuina without the 24-year-old having to swap sides in the frontrow against such a high-calibre opposition.

Run any of those theories past Faumuina and there is barely a hint of any anxiety or trepidation.

This ultra-size prop is a very laidback man - a bloke who has never been to Timaru, rarely played loosehead and is not troubled by the Blues plateauing performances.

Faumuina is only just back in the starting uniform after tearing a hamstring tendon playing for the Blues development squad.

When he came on against the Chiefs last week, it had been 10 weeks since his last Super 15 appearance.

"It looked bad and I knew I would be out for some time but I did all my rehabbing and managed to come back a few weeks ahead of schedule," he said.

"When I came on last week it just felt like normal, so that was good. I never felt any problem and we [he and Keven Mealamu] managed to hold our own in the scrums."

The Crusaders tomorrow are a lot different from the Chiefs last week.

The Franks brothers and Corey Flynn backed by the second row power of Brad Thorn and Sam Whitelock will be a step up from other scrummaging inquisitions Faumuina has met.

But the man has potential and there were whispers after his impressive last season Blues debut that he was in the frame as an outsider for an extended All Black squad, because of his ability to cover both sides of the scrum.

He'll put on the No 1 jersey for a rare time tomorrow, ready to pit power, will and skills against Owen Franks.

"He is a beast, he is young and strong and while I have played against him, he was on the other side of the scrum then," Faumuina said.

"He is awesome, solid as at setpiece, makes big hits round the field and is a dangerous man who gets the momentum going for the Crusaders.

"I like that sort of thing too, ball in hand and getting out there once I've done the basics."

So how hard will it be to swap sides? Will his input be lessened because he has to concentrate so hard on his loosehead technique?

"I just have to focus. It is about using different shoulders and binds which will be very important with referees. I'm sure he [Franks] will try to pull some tricks. I am usually trying to pull on opposing looseheads, so this will be the reverse."

Faumuina accepts that he and his Blues pack have to front up at scrum and lineout early so the backline has a chance to make some inroads.

"We were a bit passive last week, we did not play how we wanted to. The Chiefs got into us and while we fought back hard some of the damage had been done then."

The Blues had not dwelt much on their consecutive defeats - their focus was all about how to beat the Crusaders then the Highlanders to retrieve some momentum for the playoffs.