Dan Bowden is not back home simply to make up the numbers or offer a viable alternative off the Blues bench.
The 28-year-old new Blues signing does not have to learn the game from scratch either, unlike a certain Benji Marshall, after a four-year rugby odyssey that saw him strut his stuff in England and Japan.
No, Bowden shapes as a more mature head to slot into the Blues' five-eighths plans, probably in the No 10 jersey. Colin Slade may have appealed as a strong solution to the Blues' deep-seated No10 travails, but he was not realistically going to leave Canterbury.
Ihaia West took his chance well in the second half of the 2014 campaign, while Simon Hickey is one of the nation's best goalkickers.
Bowden may not have the pace of West or the accuracy off the tee of Hickey, but he brings priceless experience, a strong, long passing game and an ability to take the ball to the line.
Coach John Kirwan sees him as a 10 who can cover 12. That suits the confident Bowden, meaning we may see a potentially useful Jimmy Cowan-Bowden-Francis Saili-Pita Ahki combination.
"There are so many good players, but JK has made it pretty clear to me he sees me as a 10. I might have the older head with experience.
"It's what's best for the team, but if it was up to me, I'd prefer to play 10 at this stage," said Bowden, not long back from Japan.
He admits to having watched the Blues from afar with a frustrated air: "I struggle to pick my finger on it, because there is literally so much talent, with a number of options in each position."
Bowden turned heads in England, first with London Irish - soon after appearing in a Super Rugby semifinal at second-five for the Crusaders - and won player of the year. A switch to Leicester saw him move out one to accommodate Toby Flood. More honours followed, such as the try of the year (a team rather than solo effort) and the Aviva Premiership title.
He signed a short-term contract with Yamaha Jubilo, where he chalked up a heap of goalkicking practice.
But were it not for a freakish cheekbone injury at the start of last year, Bowden might have found himself in the England squad, jostling for position with men like Owen Farrell, George Ford and Danny Cipriani.
"It came at a really bad time. I did it when I was just on the edge of the England set-up and then I missed 12 weeks," he said.
"Initially I went to England because I was told I wouldn't be in the 2011 RWC squad. Fair enough, there were a few superstars. I was then shoulder-tapped by England after a couple of years and had to think about that as an option."
Bowden loved his rugby travels, but is equally content to be back home to chase success with one of the competition under-achievers. "I'd love to see how far I could go, but there are some pretty good players there with runs on the board. I have to do what's right here first."
-Charlie Faumuina still has ambitions to be the top tighthead prop in the country.
His re-signing by the Blues and New Zealand Rugby until the end of 2017 was key to that aim, as was a strong desire to be part of the 2017 inbound tour by the Lions, the first to these shores since 2005.
Faumuina's decision may have been the catalyst for the departure of Chiefs prop Ben Tameifuna, a player of dual eligibility who is said to be heading post-RWC for Paris, along with Dan Carter, to the rich Racing-Metro club.
That same club apparently made a big play for Faumuina.
"I want to be the No1 prop," said the 28-year-old Faumuina, who has played 27 tests and 61 times for the Blues.
"Franksy's been there a long time and I respect him. I'm from here and my family's here. There's a big team coming here as well in 2017."
-Hurricanes prop John Schwalger has sustained further blood clots on his lungs and has been ruled out for a majority of this year's Super Rugby campaign.
The former All Black first suffered the ailment, originally believed to be a chest infection, last year and played only six games for the Hurricanes.
Schwalger was primed for a return this season but after he got the flu last month, which left him bedridden for five days, the clots returned and he isn't allowed any contact until June.