By Shaun Summerfield
He might have led Auckland to the ITM Cup final, but it still wasn't enough to earn former All Black Daniel Braid a spot in Sir John Kirwan's new Blues squad.
Instead of signing current stars Kirwan has searched for potential, meaning 11 of the squad are Super Rugby rookies, and even with veterans like Ali Williams and Keven Mealamu the average age in the squad is just 23.
One of those rookies is 20-year-old winger Marty McKenzie from Otama in Southland, and Kirwan admits that with all the new faces there could be some disappointing results.
“It’s going to be a rollercoaster,” says Kirwan.
But after last year’s 12th-place finish, Anthony Boric - who's aiming to resume contact training in late January following neck surgery - doesn't believe the ride will be so rough.
“You know it's probably potentially a good thing not having that pressure, you might see us getting a few good results,” he says.
It's not just wins the Blues are chasing, but fans too, with Kirwan almost evangelical in his quest to bring fans to Eden Park.
It's an unmistakably new style for an inexperienced new team and only time will tell if the Blues have learned from last season’s mistakes.
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