Where To Now For JK And The Blues..?

At the start of the 2012 Super Rugby season, the Blues had 13 All Blacks in their squad and a promising season of rugby ahead. However we know that their 2012 campaign was an absolute disaster, and as the naming of the Super Rugby squads for 2013 draws near, the Blues have a new coach but have now lost several of their key players both overseas and to other New Zealand franchises. So what will John Kirwan be able to conjure up for the 2013 season?

After the recent departure of All Black Ma'a Nonu to the Highlanders, soon after prop Tony Woodcock announced he was also heading south, John Kirwan suddenly faces a real challenge to put together a relatively inexperienced team capable of winning games and hopefully being able to move forward into the playoffs.

So who will he rely on?

Kevin Mealamu:

Mealamu will again handle the leadership duties for the Blues, but will also be heavily relied on to lead the pack from the front. As a senior player in the team, he will need to take it upon himself to provide clean breakdown ball for his backs, and ensure that his forward pack can secure their own pill at the breakdown, and also be competitive for opposition ball.

Anthony Boric:

As another senior player, Boric will be the rock in the Blues lineout in 2013. An area which is becoming increasingly crucial to ensuring ball retention, the Blues cannot afford to have a shaky lineout. The backs will also look to Boric to be a pillar at scrum time, ensuring that the backs are getting clean, front foot ball to be able to unleash what could potentially be quite a dangerous backline.

Piri Weepu:

After a very questionable 2012 season, Weepu will really need to step up and show his class and experience in the Blues backline. At 9, he is one of the most important players on the field, and he will need to provide clean, quick front foot ball for his backline if they want to be able to outplay their opponents. He needs to take control of the game and dictate what is going to happen on the field. He also needs to watch his holiday weight and ensure that he does not have a repeat of what happened in the 2011/12 off season.

JK has included a lot of young talent in his 2013 squad (not that its been released yet, but we still know who majority will be) and this will provide them with a very good chance to step up and prove their worth on a much bigger stage. 2013 will provide chances for these players to get good game time under their belts, and further their own careers.
In what I'm sure will be a very demanding pre season for these players, they need to step up and repay the faith that Kirwan has placed in them. 2013 will certainly be a rebuilding phase for the Blues, but it also provides a very good opportunity for several players to stake their claims for All Blacks duties and further progress as individual players.

The finalised Super Rugby squads for 2013 will be named within the next couple of weeks.