Brett ready to get 'stuck in'

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One memory of the Crusaders-Blues rivalry has been seared into Stephen Brett's mind.

It is of Carlos Spencer scoring a late try against the Crusaders in 2004, a movement that ended with the Blues first five-eighth winding up the Christchurch crowd by marching near to the in-goal touchline before placing the ball down. Spencer then cocked his arm in an "up yours" gesture to the indignant crowd before calmly slotting the sideline conversion to give his side a 43-19 win.

"Obviously I still remember the Carlos Spencer game at Jade Stadium – as it was known back then," Brett said yesterday as he reflected on growing up in Christchurch and barracking against the Blues.

"I wasn't at that game, I watched it on TV. But I remember it ... there was a bit of a grudge against the Blues when I was growing up."

Brett will wear Spencer's old jersey when the Blues face the Crusaders at AMI Stadium tomorrow night.

There are hopes in Auckland that the Cantabrian will prove to be the first man to make the jersey his own since Spencer left in 2005.

Since then several players, including Nick Evans, Isa Nacewa and Jimmy Gopperth have been used with varying degrees of success.

After failing to snare Canterbury's Dan Carter and Bay of Plenty's Mike Delany – who preferred to stay with the Chiefs despite Stephen Donald blocking his path – Blues coach Pat Lam drafted Brett from Canterbury because the province refused to let him break his contract and link with Auckland.

Although his Canterbury contract expires at the end of this season, Brett, who has signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union until the end of 2011, says he is eager to return to play for the red-and-blacks to clock up his 50th match. However, he is uncertain which franchise he will represent next year.

"I would have stayed [in Christchurch] for my rugby but I needed more game time for my development."

Although there is a desire to again represent the Crusaders – he played 39 matches for them over four seasons – his chances in the No10 jersey are limited by Carter's presence.

Although coy on the topic, logic suggests this will be Brett's final NPC season with Canterbury as he looks for more Super game time outside the region, and with it the opportunity to play for the All Blacks in next year's World Cup.

Brett is more certain about what his old team-mates are going to throw his way tomorrow night. He believes that when the opening whistle sounds the gloves will come off. "There could be some of that, there could be some late tackles and I will be wanting to get stuck into them, too. I am sure they will have a few things up their sleeves – who knows, they might be getting ready to have Brad Thorn run down my channel."

For someone who has trained with Thorn, Brett knows well what is required when defending against the big lock. "Just go low on the big fella and even if he drags you and a few other guys 10 metres you just have to keep hanging on."

Brett said he would visit the Crusaders changing shed after the game. "I will be keen to have a few beers afterwards; these guys are still my mates."

- © Fairfax NZ News