Rugby: New recruit confident Blues can go all the way

Blues halfback Alby Mathewson says he is gelling well with first-five Stephen Brett. Photo / Brett Phibbs

New recruit Alby Mathewson is confident the Blues can prove the doubters wrong in the new Super 14 rugby season.

The Blues last won the competition in 2003 and bookmakers and pundits don't believe the drought will be broken this year, especially with the loss of frontline lock Ali Williams to injury.

Instead, the Crusaders, the Hurricanes and the Chiefs are seen as providing better chances of bring the title back to New Zealand.

But Mathewson sees the Blues - who open their campaign against his former franchise, the Hurricanes, on Auckland's North Shore tomorrow night - as having the goods to go all the way themselves.

"Look at our team, it's stacked through with talent," he said.

"Hopefully injuries aren't too much of an issue, but we believe we can win it."

Mathewson is part the Blues' revamped halves options, with first five-eighths Stephen Brett and Daniel Kirkpatrick also moving north in the off-season, from the Crusaders and Hurricanes respectively.

Brett will start at Albany, with Kirkpatrick on the bench.

Mathewson, 24, said coming up against the Hurricanes, with whom he spent three seasons, did provide an additional element to the encounter for him.

"I guess in some ways it does, but I think it's more special that it's my first proper game for the Blues," he said.

"I had a good pre-season and now it's business time. I was brought in to fill a position and I want to prove it was worth bringing me up here."

The sides met in a pre-season fixture at the Wairarapa township of Mangatainoka, with the Blues winning 19-17 and Mathewson playing the first half.

"There's quite a few new guys in their team and there's wasn't too much niggle, just a bit of chat," he said.

"It was a bit of a forwards game, so I wasn't involved too much."

Mathewson said his partnership with Brett, with whom he had played in the New Zealand Colts and Junior All Blacks, was coming along well.

As with Brett, Mathewson's shift to the Blues was to get more opportunities.

With Daniel Carter's return from his sabbatical in France, Brett's chances of wearing the No 10 jersey for the Crusaders looked limited.

Similarly, Mathewson had Piri Weepu ahead of him in the pecking order at the Hurricanes.

Getting back into the All Blacks, for whom he made one appearance against Irish side Munster on the 2008 end-of-year tour, was also on Mathewson's radar.

"First and foremost I have to play well here," he said.

"But that's definitely a reason for coming here - trying to push for an All Black spot."

Coach Pat Lam was expecting the Blues' opening game of the season to be "a cracker".

Both sides had plenty of All Black experience and numerous attacking threats.

"It will be line-break team No 1 versus No 2," he said.

"It's going to be entertaining, but it's also going to come down to some good defence."

Lam said he wasn't surprised that opposite Colin Cooper had opted to use the more experienced Willie Ripia as starting first five-eighth, rather than much-heralded youngster Aaron Cruden.

He could see why Cooper would want to ease Cruden into the Super 14 and "having Aaron come off the bench will cause a few headaches for our defence".

Blues
Rudi Wulf, Rene Ranger, Isaia Toeava, Benson Stanley, Joe Rokocoko, Stephen Brett, Alby Mathewson, Viliami Ma'afu, Serge Lilo, Jerome Kaino, Anthony Boric, Kurtis Haiu, John Afoa, Keven Mealamu (captain), Tony Woodcock.

Reserves: Tom McCartney, Charlie Faumuina, Filo Paulo, Peter Saili, Chris Smylie, Daniel Kirkpatrick, Paul Williams.

Hurricanes
Cory Jane, Tamati Ellison, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Hosea Gear, Willie Ripia, Piri Weepu, Victor Vito, Scott Waldrom, Nick Crosswell, Jason Eaton, Michael Paterson, Neemia Tialata, Andrew Hore (captain), John Schwalger.

Reserves: Dane Coles, Jacob Ellison, Bryn Evans, Karl Lowe, Tyson Keats, Aaron Cruden, David Smith.

- NZPA