The heir apparent

Tasesa Lavea. Picture / Richard Robinson

When the Hurricanes were casting their net in search of a first five-eighths last year, Tasesa Lavea was secretly hoping he might find himself tangled in it.

With Carlos Spencer and Luke McAlister both ahead of him at the Blues, he could see that his gluteus maximus was going to spend the early part of 2005 re-acquainting itself with hard, wooden surfaces.

For the former NRL rookie of the year, nothing could be more frustrating. In the two years since he left Manly, Lavea has played only 17 games.

In that time there have been flashes of his talent. He distributes with soft hands, picking his runners carefully as you would expect from a man who had four seasons in the NRL and a handful of appearances for the Kiwis.

But he's never been afforded an extended run either with Auckland or the Blues, which has made him a reluctant enforcer of the show business adage - always leave them wanting more.

Probably no one wants more than Lavea himself, which is why he would have been happy to have found himself in the Super 12 draft at the end of last year.

"I got put in the Blues but personally I wish that I had been drafted somewhere else," he says. "But I got picked in the Blues so I have to do it the hard way and wait for the opportunities.

"There was some talk about the Hurricanes. It would have been nice going away somewhere and getting some game time. But they have got Jimmy Gopperth and he has really taken his chance. It could have been me but it wasn't.

"I'm happy in Auckland and my family are settled. I don't really want to play for anyone else other than Auckland. But playing is important. I just want to get on the field and express myself and let people know what I can do.

"It's mentally hard not playing. It's been about a year and a half now. After each weekend you have to let it go. You train with the boys all week so not to get to play with them is pretty disappointing. Having said that, when you get the chance, you have to get on and take it."

Well it now looks like his chance has come. The Blues coaches have lost faith in Spencer. Maybe it's temporary. Maybe they have dropped him for one game to deliver the message that no reputation is safe in an under-performing team.

That's unlikely. Lavea is being given an opportunity to stake a claim, to prove he is the natural heir to King Carlos' throne.

Lavea's work ethic and professionalism are unparalleled in the Blues camp. These are invaluable commodities in the current climate where there is growing frustration at the failure of senior individuals to play to the agreed patterns.

Lavea knows that professional sport doesn't tolerate mavericks for long. He'll conform, keep things simple and add a little bit of his own flair to the mix. What flavour his own contribution will take is a mystery even to the 24-year-old.

"I don't know to be honest," he says when asked what kind of player he is. "I haven't played enough. I want to be a good director and lead the forwards and work my backs. With the back line we have at the Blues I think it would give me pleasure to set up more tries than I score myself. We have got some great outside backs with speed and skill. It would be stupid not to use them. But it's up to you guys to judge what kind of player I am. I don't really like to talk about myself."

He needn't worry about being judged. And nor presumably will he worry too much if it is not favourable. After all, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY