Michael Brown assesses the prospects of new Blues scrum-half Alby Mathewson ahead of the Super 14 in The New Zealand Herald.
"There's a little bit of Tim Shadbolt in Alby Mathewson. He does not have the crooked grin or wispish hair and is presumably a better dancer but he shares some of Shadbolt's philosophy.
"The Invercargill and former Waitemata mayor once said, "I don't care where, as long as I'm mayor." Mathewson needed a Super franchise where he was virtually guaranteed game time, no matter where it was. He saw plenty of action at the Hurricanes last season but Aaron Cruden's rise to prominence and Piri Weepu's expected move back to halfback from first five-eighths meant Mathewson faced life on the bench.
"The only realistic option was the Blues, given the other four franchises are serviced by All Black halfbacks, so Mathewson asked his agent to sound them out.Mathewson is a one-game All Black, having played against Munster on the 2008 Northern Hemisphere tour and he hopes his move to the Blues will help him get back in black."
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