Alright, first up here's the squad:
 
 Forwards
John Afoa, Sam Biddles, Anthony Boric, Daniel Braid, Justin Collins, Troy Flavell, Chris Heard, Jerome Kaino, Angus MacDonald, Keven Mealamu*, Greg Rawlinson, Saimone Taumoepeau, Onosa'i Tololima- Auva'a, Nick White, Ali Williams*, Nick Williams, Derren Witcombe, Tony Woodcock*.
 
 Backs
Ben Atiga, Steve Devine, David Gibson, David Holwell, Doug Howlett, Luke McAlister, Isa Nacewa, George Pisi, Joe Rokocoko*, James Somerset, Isaia Toeava, Anthony Tuitavake, Sam Tuitupou, Rudi Wulf.

Extended Training Squad
James Afoa (loosehead prop, can play tighthead), Tom McCartney (hooker), Kurtis Haiu (lock/blindside), Andrew Blowers (no 8/blindside), Taniela Moa (halfback), Jamie Helleur (2nd five eighth/centre), Rene Ranger (wing).

* Unavailable for the 1st seven rounds.

The biggest changes for the blues are loose forward depth and 1st five options.

MacDonald, Kaino, Flavell, Blowers (seems to be fully available for selection) and Braid should all be available for the entire season this year, which should be a big gain and give lots of options.

Openside will be a good battle between Braid and OTA – look for the new bulkier OTA to start regularly by seasons end. Cover from Collins and MacDonald if desperate. 

Kaino, N Williams, Blowers, and MacDonald will be the contenders for no 8 – a contrast between higher work rate types and the old fashioned big ball carrying 8 in N Williams.

Blindside should be well covered by Flavell, MacDonald, Kaino, Collins, Blowers, and Boric. Flavell would probably be 1st choice but may spend a fair bit of time at lock.

Lock options are not quite so great without Williams, but a useful combo of Rawlinson and Flavell/MacDonald should do the until round 8, with Boric providing cover. Not a lot of tall players available after that though ... only Kaino and N Williams, then Haiu in the Extended training squad.

Tighthead prop is a real concern for the blues, with John Afoa the only specialist in the squad – all others are part timers, so hopefully White, Biddles, and Heard have had plenty of off-season tuition. Loosehead depth is quite good, with Woodcock returning in round 8, and Taumoepeau and others holding the fort until then.

With Mealamu “resting” hooker is another position of concern – Taumoepeau is Whitcombe's only backup, and will likely be starting the 1st seven matches at loosehead. It remains to be seen if  Whitcombe can reproduce his pre-injury form.

Halfback options are pretty solid – Devine, though not the player he once was, still has a bullet pass. Team Rebel's favorite, David Gibson, was in good form during the NPC and can lift for big games (e.g. the 2003 super 12 final), and Moa is a promising and physical player.

With Lavea gone things are looking up for the Blues. Holwell, McAlister, and Nacewa are the options at 10 this year. Holwell, whilst solid, is still very much a journey man, but should be quite good value during round robin. If the Blues make the semi's look for McAlister to play the big games. Nacewa is useful but really a part timer.

A ton of depth in the Midfield. 2nd five options include the world's best, McAlister, as well as Tuitupou, Nacewa, Atiga, and Toeava. Tuitavake, Toeava, Atiga, and Nacewa the options there.

Wing is a mixture of established All Blacks and near-rookies. Howlett will start most games, either at Wing or Fullback, with Rokocoko starting all the latter stage matches. Nacewa, Somerset, Tuitavake, Wulf, and Toeava the other options.

Finally on to Fullback, where Pisi is the only specialist. A more composed player than his brother, he is a good runner and has displayed a lot potential so far. Will get a lot of game time if he starts the season well.

So, the starting team for the Crusaders match?

1.Taumoepeau  2.Whitcombe  3.Afoa  4.Rawlinson  5.MacDonald  6.Flavell  7.Braid  8.Kaino  9.Gibson  10.Holwell  11.Nacewa  12.McAlister  13.Toeava  14.Tuitavake  15.Howlett

An all All Black forward pack that should have a good mix of work rate and ball carrying. The combination of MacDonald, Flavell, Kaino, and Braid should be quick to the rucks and committed to cleaning out – quick ball and support play, as usual, the keys for the Blues. Only one true tall lock, but 4 lineout options. Scrum should be pretty good. Look for Nick Williams to provide impact off the bench.

The Northland Gibson-Holwell combination will probably be the most effective in the early season, with McAlister and Toeava very effective on attack. Untested as a combination on defence however. The back three has been chosen for experience and all round ability, but lacks a genuine “speedster” on the wing.

Not a bad XV to start with, and could well pick up a win at Eden Park. From Round 8 onwards I expect to see something like this:


1.Woodcock
2.Mealamu
3.Afoa
4.Rawlinson/Flavell
5.Williams
6.Flavell/MacDonald/Kaino
7.OTA
8.Kaino/Blowers/N Williams
9.Gibson
10.Holwell/McAlister
11.Rokocoko
12.McAlister/Tuitupou
13.Toeava
14.Tuitavake/Howlett/Somerset
15.Howlett/Pisi


As always with the Blues, success will be determined by coaching and combinations. Depth has improved this year (which was a major problem in 2006), and there are some potentially very good combinations in the team. They will not win the competition – they don't have a good enough 1st 5 (though McAlister could surprise) and they don't have Richie McCaw. They have a very good chance to make the semis though, particularly if the loose forwards perform to their potential, and they get some good direction from 9 and 10. Nucifora could well surprise a few of us, though I have not much hope for Joe Schmidt – Blues backplay under his supervision has sadly been in stark contrast to that of the Auckland NPC team. Defensive quality will be a major personal interest for me.

So, how's their draw?

Week   Opponent   Location   Prediction
1    Crusaders   Home   Win
2    Brumbies   Away   Loss
3    Hurricanes   Away   Win
4    Reds   Home   Win
5    Highlanders   Home   Win
6    SA Team 5   Home   Win
7    Bye      
8    Waratahs   Home   Win
9    Chiefs   Away   Loss
10   Cheetahs   Home   Win
11   Sharks   Home   Win
12   Stormers   Away   Win
13   Bulls   Away   Loss
14   Western Force   Away   Win
         
   Wins   9   36
   Draws   0   
   BP      8
   Total      44

The 1st week's game could go either way, but the Crusaders will miss a lot of All Blacks. I'll pick the Blues to just win, but probably tip against them.

The Brumbies at home should be good value, and may well pick up the win.

The Hurricanes will struggle until their loose trio returns, and I expect the Blues to be too good without Lavea playing.

The next three games will be at home against poor teams, and the Blues should win them all.

After the bye and with the All Blacks back the Waratahs come to Eden Park. If I recall correctly, the 'tahs have never beaten the Blues away, and though they might be a good team I expect the Blues to hit them physically and pull out a win at home.

Things could crash down in Hamilton though, and I would not be surprised to see a solid Chiefs team pull off a win.

The next two matches are at home, and should be wins.

The Blues will probably go into their SA leg needing at least one win, and if they have developed this season they should beat the Stormers. They will probably lose the Bulls match, and beat the Force.

Last season they finished in 8th place with 29 points from 6 wins and 5 bonus points. 38 points were required to make the top four (45 for the 3rd qualifier). My (optimistic) projection is for them to win 9 matches and gain 8 bonus points for a total of 44. Though 8 wins and 7 bonus points would see them with 39, which may be enough to qualify again. There are two additional games they may well win (Brumbies and Chiefs), and two or more they could well lose (Crusaders, Hurricanes, Waratahs, and Stormers). Should they play to near their potential though I would expect to see them make the semifinals, and maybe sneak into the final. The prospect of a disappointing mid-table finish still remains though unfortunately.