And Rush, whose huge on-field presence was key for the Blues last season, says the challenge of leadership sits well with him. "It's a big responsibility to have but one that I'm comfortable with" he said.

"I had a chat with Dai about the captaincy and it was something I wanted to continue with."

The 29-year-old No.8 reckons that this season things can only get better for the South Wales region.

"We managed to finish second in the league last season and are obviously aiming to improve on that this year. When we were challenging for the Magners League we said we were definitely not  the complete package yet.

"But I think we've been steadily climbing the ladder and our performances have been improving. I think we are about 20% off where we need to be to challenge the top teams."

And in the key European arena, Rush will be looking to up his side's level of performance after a disappointing campaign last season; just two wins from their six pool matches meant the Blues were eliminated at the earliest juncture.

This time out, the region face French giants Stade Francais, along with Bristol and Harlequins in their Heineken Cup pool.

Rush feels his side can challenge strongly in the pool stages this year, in what he thinks is a very open group. He said, "We have a pretty even group in the Heineken Cup, where a lot of the teams can beat each other.

"I think it will be the case of whoever can play the better rugby at that time of the eason, but obviously we want to get through to the next stage of the competition."

This season, Rush will combine with New Zealanders Paul Tito and Jason Spice after the region increased their Kiwi contingent this summer.

"We've doubled our Kiwi quota at the Blues which is great for me," said Rush. "I think Ben Blair has made a big difference since he arrived and I think having a Paul Tito and Jason Spice will also make a big difference.

"I think you need a bit of that overseas influence to compete with the top sides these days."