Blues skipper-for-the-day Beauden Barrett admits he's looking forward to starting alongside rugby league recruit Roger Tuivasa-Sheck for the first time against Fijian Drua.
Since switching codes late last year, the former NZ Warriors captain has started just once for the Auckland-based Super Rugby Pacific side, before suffering a shoulder injury late in their season-opener against the Hurricanes.
During those 80 minutes, Tuivasa-Sheck showed enough to suggest he could add a new dimension to the Blues backplay, but he has had to wait almost two months for another chance to prove his abilities.
Barrett missed his team-mate's debut with lingering concussion symptoms and only logged a few minutes with Tuivasa-Sheck at the tailend of last week's historic win over the Crusaders at Christchurch.
"I think we were all hanging out to see him with ball in hand last weekend, but it was a [defence] day for Roge and the team over the last 20 minutes," he said. "Hopefully, we can give him the ball and see what he can do."
With skipper Dalton Papalii earning a break on the sidelines, Barrett, 30, will lead the Blues against the competition newcomers offering a distinctly different playing style to the diet of NZ teams faced so far.
The All Blacks first-five warns his new ally also offers something completely novel in his return to the 15-a-side code.
"His physical attributes are freakish," said Barrett. "I've seen him do things that I haven't seen before on the field - one-on-ones and things like that.
"But I've been impressed with his professionalism, the questions he asks and how much he actually knows about footy. I think a lot of people would be surprised about that - he's clearly been watching a fair bit, whilst playing for the Warriors and the Kiwis.
"He's already picked it up really quick and he has a lot more time than typically those playing 12, if they were making the transition. He's calculated and makes good decisions out there, rather than just being a pure athlete with ball in hand.
"Tactically, he's right up there."
If some commentators have their way, the Blues' Barrett-RTS-Rieko Ioane combination could easily find its way into the black jersey, when the All Blacks take on Ireland in July.
Join us at 7pm Saturday for live updates of the Blues v Fijian Drua Super Rugby Pacific clash
