Two steps forward, one step back
Well, damn.
The last 2 minutes against the Chiefs (and the terrible maul call by the refs), and that brain dead, insipid performance on Friday night defines our season. It's a hard road to the final from here - need to get a point more than the chiefs where we have Crusaders away, Chiefs at home, and htey have Canes at home, and us away. Need to win both our games to have a shot, or rely on a massive Hurricanes upset.
Feels a very mixed bag for the season. Two steps forward, one step back. Our first few games we played well; the game against the Highlanders at home it felt like we could crack 50 points cantering away. We asked some damn good questions of the Crusaders, but they were good enough to respond, and take the game. Since then, though, both teams have fallen apart in the quality of rugby put out there.
Overall, I'm still not disappointed. from where we were a couple of years ago, where we couldn't beat NZ sides at home or away, to being legitimate contenders is a big shift. People talk up the team, and we have some good players, but when you looked at the Highlanders lineup there wasn't huge quality. We're still weak at 2/9/10 (but better than we were); props, loosies, Rieko and Caleb the only real standout areas of strength to me.
I still think we're building to a consistent challenge; decent administration, decent coaching and finally some good talent scouting. I am amused (slightly bitterly) that two of the other 4 starting 9s in SRA were in the Blues mix, and we couldn't get the best out of them.
This year isn't a write off, but it'll take something special to get to the final. Roll on Trans Tasman - but the 2 losses in the last 3 weeks will probably scupper our chances of going deep into that comp as well
Edit: the good news is our destiny is still in our hands - both on the field, and in the long term performance of the team. All the attributes are in place we just have to start delivering
@kiwimurph said in Blues 2021:
@nzzp hey the pink worked a treat for him last year. Whatever works.
Will help Nisbett with his commentary if nothing else
@nepia said in Blues 2021:
@dice said in Blues 2021:
These are probably my favorite Blues jerseys.
We need a retro jersey round.
It's funny that the lock/loose forward in that pic looks the smallest.
Was just thinking that, Jonah and Joeli must have been terrrifying for all the pipsqueaks they had to mark in those days
@snowy that's a reach, even for you.
The thing I didn't like about the blonde phase was it was so distinctive it got hard to tell players apart on the field! And I'm getting old and my eyesight is going 
@nzzp They don't seem to realise that all having the same "distinctive" hair defeats the purpose somewhat.
Maybe it is all a team bonding thing and improving the culture...but I still believe that all rugby boots should be black too.
Probably bad timing but here is a great article on the 2003 Blues side:
King Carlos, Caucau, Dougie, and the most exciting club team of the pro era
The Blues ripped up the Super 12 in 2003 with a thrilling group of players.
@nzzp There is something there isn't there? It looks like like it but fuck some days it's hard to see. The heart of the 'Landers is just great.
@mackerzzzz it wasnt pretty, and while I am sure he didnt intend to do what he did, it was an incredibly dangerous action.
I think @Stargazer mentioned in the game thread he expected 6 weeks but reduced to 3.
Hodgman entered a guilty plea and was ruled out of all forms of rugby for three weeks, up to and including May 8 which is the date of the final. Should the Blues not make the playoff, the judiciary reserved its right to revisit the suspension.
@kiwimurph said in Blues 2021:
No disrespect but if I wore that hair colour people would call me Toilet Duck.
https://www.facebook.com/35306676317/posts/10159876377321318
Time to flush this series and move on to the trans-Tasman games.
The obvious problems has been a lack of accuracy, and low on variation, forward based attack that is predictable and fails to use the backs or give them space off quick phase ball or set-piece. Halangahu needs to justify his position here. This all too much like his forward dominated North Harbour game plans. Support lines need some changes. Too often break outs have no supporting runners, with players staying on their wing. I can't believe they don't use Clarke on an inside ball off the scrum.
As far as individual selections go, lets start with the backs.
Ruru is okay coming off the bench but his error rate is pretty high, and more importantly he is often slow to clear the ruck, can be slow getting to the ruck off breaks, and his support play isn't good enough. He also produces a couple of poor box kicks per game. It's time to stick with Nock or Christie as starter.
Black has a decent kicking game and is a skilful player, but not much of a threat running at the line. If he plays they need to use strong carriers running off him, and have an aggressive kick chase. If Barrett is available he starts at 10.
At 12 use Faiane but give Tele'a some time.
Need more variation in how wings are used and selections. Narawa etc deserve a chance.
Perofeta looks pretty stale at 15, a position where there should at least have been some rotation. Sullivan and Kneepkens deserve a chance. Barrett can play there, with Black at 10, if they want to play a kicking game plan.
In the forwards I'd like to see the loose forward mix freshened up, with the possibility of a link player selected. Papalii is quite good there, as is Robinson, and Akira at 8 can offer more than Sotutu in that regard. Maybe Choat a 7 and Papalii at 6. Pity that Hunt can't be tried in that role.
First choice XXIII for TT games:
15 Pick on form, would like to see Sullivan get first go
14 Narawa/Telea
13 Ioane
12 Faiane
11 Clarke
10 Barrett
9 Nock
8 Ioane
7 Papalii
6 Robinson/Choat
5 GCT/Pierce
4 Tuipulotu
3 Laulala/OfaT
2 Eklund
1 Hodgman/KarlT
23 Tele'a/Sullivan
22 Black/Tele'a
21 Christie
20 Sotutu
19 Pierce/GCT/Darry
18 OfaT/Laulala
17 KarlT/Hodgman
16 Tolai
@tim Won't be Barrett, he will be in the final of the Japan League (his team is undefeated in the round robin), then even if he leaves the day after - 2 weeks quarantine, means he'll be available for the last game only
@kiwimurph said in Blues 2021:
Every other nz team plays a fast clearing 9 and a running threat 10.
Blues play a slow clearing 9 and a 10 with next to no running threat.
I think Ruru is bloody quick to the breakdown and excellent at getting it away quick if it's a pick and pop. It's every other option that's the problem.
How good were the blues wingers last year? This year...meh. The difference? 9, 12, 15.
@bones said in Blues 2021:
How good were the blues wingers last year? This year...meh. The difference? 9, 12, 15.
Just watched the game and thought the Blues 11/14/15 were real poor compared to the Saders. On the plus side, Reiko seems to be developing really well at 13.
@dice it was pretty weird how Gibson got one turnover at the start of the match then Dalton started killing it and the commentators wouldn't stop going on about how good Gibson is at pilfering.
@bones He didn't do much after that, which is why he got pulled 5 minutes after halftime.
Some good points
The Blues backline puzzle just gets more confusing after the head-scratching selections against Crusaders
It's hard to believe that the Blues were prepared to use a midfielder who hadn't started all year as the centre piece of their game plan for such a crucial clash. Never mind where last year's rising star TJ Faiane was.
@taniwharugby said in Blues 2021:
Some good points
I agree.
Our strengths after the Crusaders game (when we fell off a cliff) were very clearly props, loosies and Rieko at centre. Just about everywhere else was struggling. Clarke hasn't had the space this year, and our spine 2/8/9/10/15 has still struggled and is arguably weaker than a lot of the comp.
So yeah, pre-season we had a very strong 15 to put out there. Losing our senior lock and leader was a massive blow, and I don't think we ever really had the class in most of the positions around the paddock.
That said, I'm still dark about the season defining maul try against the Chiefs being overturned. I think it wasn't a clear ruling at all, and a lot of mauls should be penalised if that's the standard. But that's the TMO for you these days, you have to suck it up. We lost because we weren't good enough in the last two minutes.
In the positivity front, we've come a very very long way. Winning away is hard, but not impossible and the winning percentages are a step change above Tana and JK, particularly against NZ teams. Our scrum was a weapon and should get back there, and we're actually picking up some good talent and coaching people. Hope to get the perfect run at Trans Tasman, but it's probably not enough to get to the final. Provided teams can take down the Reds regularly, it'll be the Chiefs and Crusaders unless they drop their bundle
@nzzp I honestly think the Blues have missed BB immensly this year, there appears to be a lack of rugby IQ in backline, and noone talking the right things. Look at last year, Blues started of a bit ropey , and improved a heap when BB joined. Otere has never looked a real good 10 without BB , and even out wider, I was a keen on Reiko as 13, but not sure anymore.
I also not sure loosies are quite working right, with Sotutu and Ioane on it leaving Papali'i ,arguably in best 3 loosies in country, to try and do everything himself. Tom Robertson I think is a huge loss for you, he compliment Papali'i, and allows Sotutu to just roam as he likes.
I also think they struggle a little at hooker, not sure any are good scrummagers, got bloody good props just scrum doesn't dominate as much as I thought it would.
I think that article sums up a few important points - the Blues last year had a first five and halfback who could keep the ball in front of their forwards, and they employed a game plan that suited their personnel.
This year they seem to be looking for something from Black that he isn’t as well suited to, and they havent had a clear style of play (and really any attack structure) that has given their strengths an opportunity to be imposed on the game (ball running forwards and speedy outsides).
One hopes that the coaching staff have a better plan for SRTT but it looks right now that they don't have a clear strategy about how to use their resources (eg, for the Chiefs this is all about speed and quick ruck ball, to make up for our weakness up front and conceivably make it into a strength).
@dan54 Blues backline last year also clicked into gear once Nock went to 9. After that Blues peeled off about 7 wins in a row before losing to Crusaders (which was the first game in that streak without Nock at 9).
Ruru continued selection at 9 tells me the coaches are trying fit a square peg in a round hole.
Add to that a lack of trust in Faiane and too much trust in Perofeta - the selection is a shambles.
@gt12 said in Blues 2021:
The non-selection/ lack of trust in Faiane is one that puzzled me the most (actually, maybe Gibson at 6 is stranger).
Faiane is/was the glue player in that back line and allows Rieko to be more comfortable, so I dont see why he is out of favor.
My reading was that for some reason they decided that switching things up to Plummer at 10 was the key to playing the Saders. Much like Chiefs changed and used DMac at 10 so that the pre-game analysis was disrupted.
From that point they decided to change the 12 because of who Plummer had a better understanding with.
@crucial the weird thing is Plummer has played a heap of rugby with Faiane at 12 in the Mitre 10 Cup the last 3 seasons.