Since then they’ve pretty much been a mid table side with consistency letting them down quite badly.
In 2011 they are again captained by the ever impressive All Black Keven Mealamu. He is a captain who leads by example and his work rate is second to none. The Blues are coached by Pat Lam who will be hoping to improve on the team’s 7th position in 2010.
The Blues’ squad is teeming with talented players. Up front they have a great front row with the aforementioned Mealamu, Tony Woodcock and John Afoa. At lock they have Ali Williams, who will be hoping to recover and put his injury woes of the last year behind him, and a few young guys including Filo Pastry, I mean Paulo and Kurtis Haiu, who will be looking to break through into the big time.
The loose forwards are lead by All Black Jerome Kaino, and he’ll be key in that area as the guys around him aren’t that experienced at Superugby level if the squad on their website is anything to go by. Luke Braid and Peter Saiili, amongst others, hoping to make their mark.
Every New Zealand team is blessed with amazing talent in the backline and the Blues are no different. At nine they have Alby Mathewson who broke into the All Black squad in 2010, they have Stephen Brett at ten, another brilliant, if somewhat inconsistent performer. He’ll be joined by Luke MCalister, who also covers 12 and Daniel Kirkpatrick as cover for that position. In the centres they have the aforementioned MCalister who will be hoping for an injury free run to impress Coach Grumpy with the world cup on the horizon.
The blues are blessed with an abundance of backs; Anthony Tuitavake, Benson Stanley, Rene Ranger and Isa Toueava can combine to rip any opponent to pieces. Outside them are the likes of Smokin Joe Rockacoko who is rumoured to be a bit leaner and quicker in 2011, fellow All Black and try scoring machine Rudi Wulf with Paul Williams and Jared Payne at the back. Their strength is the flexibility of their backline players, most of whom can cover at least three positions in the backline.
Where the Crusaders are blessed with an entire village of Whitelocks, the Blues have Tuitavakes and Stanleys, so it will be interesting to see which clans get the upper hand.
If the Blues manage to avoid injuries, especially up front, in the 2011 competition I think they could be contenders for the title, competing with the Hurricanes to be the second best of the New Zealand sides, if they are unlucky with injuries however, they could end up scrapping with the Chiefs and Highlanders for fourth or fifth in the New Zealand conference, just ahead of the likes of the Rebels, Force, Lions and Cheetahs overall.
