Rugby: Towering presence of Bekhuis back to face Chiefs after knock

Josh Bekhuis is becoming more of a threat with ball in hand.

In a season full of gloom for the Blues, Josh Bekhuis, a new signing from the Highlanders, is standing out like a fair-haired beacon.

Bekhuis, all 2m and 115kg of him, is the Blues' leading lineout winner this season but it is his ball carrying and tackling which have caught the eye. His charging runs against the Lions at North Harbour, especially in the first half, might have been a crumb of consolation for John Kirwan in a match with precious little else to cheer about, and now the 28-year-old is poised to resume hostilities against the Chiefs after his progress was halted last weekend by concussion.

A collision with teammate Tony Woodcock in the match against the Hurricanes in Palmerston North was to blame for his missing the Waratahs game in Sydney a week later.

Remarkably, it was Bekhuis' first case of concussion in 10 years of first class rugby - starting with Southland in 2006.

"After that match I got some late symptoms and they carried on leading up to the Waratahs' game," he said. "It's the first time I have had a concussion. The next day I got headaches and sensitivity to light."

Bekhuis said he was thankful for his "big Dutch head" for his ability to remain previously concussion-free in his career.

Bekhuis' grandfather travelled to New Zealand from Holland in the 1950s and it's his Dutch side of his family which is responsible for his height. Bekhuis' father, Richard, played 26 games for Southland in the 1990s, also as a lock.

Bekhuis junior has played more than 100 games for Southland and will return there this year for the ITM Cup, but beyond that he could be ripe for a move. He has signed for another year at the Blues but hasn't committed to an ITM Cup side.

He is in the meantime enjoying life in the big city, a change in lifestyle to his home in Invercargill and his six years in Dunedin playing for the Highlanders.

Bekhuis and Patrick Tuipulotu have been the Blues' two best locks this season, but coach John Kirwan pulled a surprise selection this week when naming Bekhuis alongside Hayden Triggs to play the Chiefs in Hamilton tonight. Kirwan's response was that he wanted All Black Tuipulotu in the reserves at Waikato Stadium because the Blues needed quality and experience late in games as the final quarter was when they were most vulnerable this season.

Bekhuis' toughness was praised last year by Southland coach David Henderson on the eve of the player's 100th game for the province. Now, alongside Keven Mealamu and Jerome Kaino, two players he has admired for years, Bekhuis is adding a new layer to his game in becoming a threat with the ball.

"I guess in other teams it hasn't really come to me, but for this team I guess it's encouraged. If you're in the right spot at the right time you'll get the ball and I enjoy that. It's a skill that I want to work on, alongside my core roles, but that's rugby - getting the ball in hand and having a good run."

Blues locks in 2015*

Hayden Triggs
Matches: 5; Minutes: 217; Carries: 7; Average gain: 3m; Lineouts won: 8; Steals: 0
Josh Bekhuis
Matches: 5; Minutes: 313; Carries: 14; Average gain: 2m; Lineouts won: 12; Steals: 1
Patrick Tuipulotu
Matches: 5; Minutes: 353; Carries: 38; Average gain 2.68m; Lineouts won: 7; Steals: 0

*To play more than two matches