Blues welcome back “bad-boy” Flavell

January 26, 2006

Lindsay Knight profiles Troy Flavell, a man with a reputation, who returns to Super 14 with the Auckland Blues.

All eyes on bad boy Troy

By Lindsay Knight
Friday, January 27, 2006

So far everyone, even the man's most ardent admirers such as former New Zealand selector Peter Thornburn, would agree that the turbulent career of Troy Flavell has been a disappointment.

Indeed, some of those less well disposed to the man than Thorburn and others who have been his coaches might go further and suggest that with his penchant for getting into trouble Flavell's rugby record has been a nightmare.

So with his return to New Zealand rugby this year, likely to be about the third round of the upcoming Super 14, there will be more than passing interest in the fortunes of Flavell and whether he will at last fulfil his immense potential.

Or whether he will blow his chance and add to a reputation which for rugby infamy in New Zealand is probably rivalled only by that of Richard Loe.

Like Loe, Flavell, while playing for North Harbour, the Chiefs and the Blues between 1997 and 2003, seemed to go from one unsavoury incident to another.

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The Red Terror remembers Flavell fondly. Despite his preceeding reputation as a thug, he toured Canada with the New Zealand Maori three years ago and was one of the best ambassadors for the team off the field -- and on.