Blues News, Player Watch

[Burgs]

Murray Can't Wait For The Action To Start

06/01/2008
• by Peter White

Blues prop Bronson Murray might be the new boy on the block when it comes to Super 14 rugby but with 63 games under his belt for Northland since 2002, he is well versed in the murky world of front row play.

Murray’s selection for the Blues is timely and well deserved, as the 25 year-old played the best rugby of his career in the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup – form that was not lost on Blues Head Coach David Nucifora.

What makes Murray’s outstanding performances for Northland even more remarkable is that he swapped from loosehead to tighthead prop halfway through last season. To the uninitiated, swapping sides of the scrum is no easy task and usually takes some time to adjust to. It requires major technical and physical adjustments.

But Murray did more than just hold his own for Northland last year – he was the cornerstone of an impressive front row that bowed to no one.

So why did the former NZ Colts loosehead prop make the radical change?

“I got a push from Northland coach Mark Anscombe, who said there was a real shortage and he thought I would make a really good tighthead,” Murray says. “So he pushed me into it and I’m real pleased he did.”

“The biggest difference is everything is opposite to what I was used to, and you can’t afford to make a mistake or miss anything. You have to be 100 percent from the start and it is physically harder.”

Murray says the Blues’ new analyst Daniel Cron played a key role in his successful move to tighthead.

“He videoed a couple of games and he and his father Mike worked a lot with me, picking up things to improve on, which
was a great help.”

Now he has made the Blues, all Murray wants to do is keep improving and learning from the highly skilled technical staff.

“It has been awesome so far and I am really enjoying it. Everything is so professional and they make sure we do all the little things well. Take hydration as an example. The first test I did I was clinically dehydrated, so it is a matter of getting into the habit of continuously drinking water.”

Murray is not going to take a backward step to anyone when he gets his chance on the field.

“I can’t wait to get in there and have a crack at some of the South Africans in particular. They tell me it is really hard going there and playing in their conditions, but I don’t care where I play them – I just want a crack.”

Murray hails from a small community called Whangape, located at the bottom of Ninety Mile Beach on the west coast from Kaitaia.

He loves pig hunting, diving and fishing and has identified the west coast beaches around Muriwai as likely fishing spots.

But making the most out of the opportunity he has with the Blues is his priority.

“I just want to learn as much as I can. Things like looking after yourself properly, so you can get up for the next day and keep training at high intensity day in and day out, are so important.

“I want to push myself as hard as I can to try and get in the team. That’s what I am here for.”

[Burgs]

Blues Flanker Keen To Make His Mark

03/01/2008

• by Peter White

Dynamic Blues’ openside flanker Onosa’i Tololima-Auva’a can’t wait for the 2008 rugby season to start.

The 22 year-old had to endure a frustrating time of it last year, with several injuries limiting his opportunities to just a handful of games.

Tololima-Auva’a also has to bide his time with Daniel Braid the first choice No 7 for both Auckland and the Blues.

But the former NZ Sevens Commonwealth Games gold medal winner, and NZ Under-19 and Under-21 rep, is fully fit again and ready to rip into it whenever he gets a chance.

“I am excited about the challenge ahead and looking forward to competing for the No 7 jersey. I have just got over the main injuries from last year, which meant I was behind on my fitness until just before the Blues’ pre-season,” Tololima-Auva’a says. “From that first week it’s been tough but now I am feeling good and almost peaking.

“Braidy is one of the best No 7’s in the world so being in teams with him is a chance for me to learn off him. We have different game styles, so it is good to learn his as well as focusing on mine.

“He is the best at knowing where the play is and where the opportunities are. My strengths are speed to the ball and my work in the tackle on the ground - I need to improve my game in those areas where he is so strong.”

Tololima-Auva’a admits there will be an added challenge for all loose forwards in adapting to the new laws to be introduced in the 2008 Rebel Sport Super 14.

He says the increased standard at Super 14 level is obvious.

“The whole physical aspect of the contest increases dramatically at Super 14 level. The opposition players are a lot bigger, the game speed tends to be a lot faster, and there are far fewer mistakes.”

Tololima-Auva’a is keeping his ambitions and goals realistic at this early stage but wants to make a real impact when he gets the chance.

“I would like to be known as a player who takes every opportunity that I am given, whether that is one minute on the field or the full 80 minutes, and at trainings I give it my all throughout.

“I am ambitious and would like to represent my country at the highest level for the All Blacks. That is a definite goal but I am still learning.”