Sam Norton-Knight spent three years at the Waratahs

Blues coach Dai Young admits signing highly rated Australian Sam Norton-Knight as a fly-half is a gamble.

Norton-Knight, 25, will start in his favoured position in the Blues' Magners League season opener at home to Edinburgh on Friday.

But he has not played there for 18 months as he was used as a full-back for former club New South Wales Waratahs in Super 14.

"There's quite a few doubters out there already," Young told Scrum V Radio.

"But from our point of view, we've looked at him for a number of seasons now.

"I think that's more of a case that they had a number of outside-halves at the Waratahs and he felt and they felt he was probably the most talented and the one who could probably play full-back.

"But he considers himself an outside half and obviously that's what we've signed him as.

"He gives a really good kicking game apart from his accuracy and distance he gives."

Young added: "We are quite excited with him and obviously we feel he is going to be a good signing for us.

"Every signing is a gamble but at the end of the day, if you look at our signings in the past, without sounding boastful, I don't think we've made many mistakes."

The Blues go into their opening Magners League clash against last year's runners up with a new partnership at 10 and nine.

Outside-half Nicky Robinson has joined Gloucester and scrum-half Jason Spice has signed for Bristol.

Canberra-born Norton-Knight is seen as the replacement for Robinson, while Gareth Cooper from Gloucester replaces Spice.

606: DEBATE Norton-Knight has a quality act to follow. I hope by Christmas we will be saying: "Nicky who?" mackumblue

But Former Wales and Lions scrum-half Rob Jones says Norton-Knight will have big shoes to fill after Robinson's fine form last season.

"He was the catalyst for me," Jones told Scrum V. "He had a great partnership with Jason Spice. They made things happen.

"Jason has gone and as good as Gareth Cooper is - he's a fine individual player - it's that partnership that's got to gel.

"The forwards will provide them with good quality ball. They have good outside backs who are capable of finishing things off.

"But in terms of control of the game which Nicky Robinson and Jason Spice offered, these boys are untried as a partnership."

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