How to fix the Blues - What the other teams are doing the Blues aren't
The case of the Blues has been investigated from every angle at this point – and we are no closer to figuring it out. Last night was the 15th straight winless venture for the side against New Zealand competition. It is a remarkable run for the country’s biggest, most-resourced franchise.
The Blues have lost their way, lost the interest of Aucklanders and the players and coaching staff look lost for answers. How did this happen? There will never be one definitive answer. What we do know is that other teams do things differently and are having far more success.
The national/local recruitment paradigm
The landscape of recruitment in the country has been rapidly evolving in the last 10 years. The professionalism of the game requires it. The Chiefs, Crusaders, and Highlanders have been able to bat above their size by pursuing aggressive national recruitment strategies. Where did the Chiefs get Damian McKenzie from? Where did the Crusaders get Jack Goodhue from? Where did the Highlanders get most of their team from? And more importantly, at what age?
The players growing up in your backyard are no longer ‘yours’ which has long been the attitude of the two biggest national playing pools of Auckland and the Hurricanes region. Throw aggressive NRL teams into the mix and you simply cannot afford to stay local, which for the large part is what the Blues have done.
The most successful rugby team, at any level in Auckland this decade has been St Kentigern College 1st XV. They have won five of the last eight 1A titles, reached the National Top 4 final twice and won one National title. They would not have done any of that if they recruited from just Auckland.
The Blues need to take a leaf out of their book because they recruit locally, nationally and internationally but still have the right culture that brings everything together. They do whatever it takes to win in all areas – the work that needs to be done on and off the field.
They also benefit in ways you don’t expect. A kid that leaves home in search of an opportunity also has something different about him than the local kid that lives at home in comfort. The mentality changes, they need to form new bonds, they mature as individuals and become more self-driven. I’m sure that’s what helps the St Kent’s boys bond together. Perhaps that’s why so many ex-Blues players find success when forced to move away from their comfort zone. It is a hugely understated influence on the Highlanders culture.
The Blues could benefit from more players with that mentality coming through their academy system.
Last night during the Anzac moment of silence the Highlanders players were locked in arms, whilst the Blues players stood respectfully as individuals. Two perfectly acceptable ways to pay respect but perhaps a perfect illustration of the difference in mentality between the sides.
Recruit and invest early, don’t buy late
The Blues do have players from outside the region on the roster like Michael Collins (Otago), Leni Apisai (Wellington), Stephen Perofeta (Taranaki), Bryn Gatland (Waikato). However, none of these players came through a Blues academy. These players were brought in after they developed through other systems.
The Blues didn’t scout Perofeta at schoolboy level and say ‘that’s our guy, let’s go get him, let’s have him train and play every day with Rieko Ioane for the next three years in our academy so they know each other inside and out’. That’s what the Chiefs do. That’s what the Crusaders do. The Chiefs banked on McKenzie as a 16-year-old, went out and got him into their system.
Even the best local talent is heading elsewhere. St Kentigern’s had a once-in-a-generation talent in Etene Nanai-Seturo playing 1st XV the last three years in Auckland, who after a tug-of-war is currently playing for the New Zealand Sevens. He played for the Chiefs U18 whilst at school, and turned out for Counties Sevens last year indicating he is aligned with the Chiefs. If that doesn’t indicate something is wrong with the Blues recruitment, nothing will.
Outside of the St Kent’s programme, there has to be a realisation that the Auckland 1A 1st XV competition is not the best in the country to rely on. Not even close. Once that realisation is made, it’s time to join the party and look nationally for your talent. It’s time to make the investment early rather trying to lure a player after they’ve made it to Mitre 10. Bring them in young and develop them with your way of doing things.
Currently, every player that grew up outside of the Blues region that is on the Blues roster did not go through a Blues academy. Meaning, they went through someone else’s academy and that franchise let them go.
There will, of course, be a need to source players from other provincial unions, but fill the Blues academy with national talent first and see what you can produce and then add the last pieces. They have three provincial unions with which to spread their talent, Northland, North Harbour and Auckland and should have Counties but that’s another story.
Who is the right coach?
Every coach looks better with a team that has chemistry. As Scotty Stevenson stated during commentary Friday night, the Blues ‘don’t lack the talent’. They lack chemistry and this could be a contributing factor as to why they are a good team but a long way from being a top team in the New Zealand conference.
If the Blues looked nationally earlier and started bringing in the best talent in country into their academies, the team would start to have a reliable core of players with a high level of ability that have been working on their chemistry for years and years before they hit Super Rugby level. They can adjust to different game plans and add more complexity as they go.
You can’t say the Blues have had more injury problems than the Chiefs, yet the Chiefs continue to win despite having half their roster on the sidelines and a new coach and system to implement. The Chiefs recruitment strategy is world’s apart from the Blues, they are going after talent from everywhere.
Comments on RugbyPass
9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to comments