'They're learning to win when they're not quite performing at their best' - The growth in the Blues game that should excite fans
While there’s plenty of positives to take out of their win over the Hurricanes on Saturday, the Blues missed a number of opportunities in the first-half which so nearly came back to haunt them.
Even though they largely controlled the first half, and with the Hurricanes going down to 14-men after lock James Blackwell was yellow carded, the Blues still trailed 11-7 at the half-time break. Ardie Savea was particularly impactful, with James Parsons and Bryn Hall both speaking about his influence in this week’s episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
But a try late to Rieko Ioane saw the visitors run out to what would seem like a comfortable victory, winning 31-16 at Sky Stadium in Wellington. The win sees them currently sitting on top of the ladder, with a points differential two better than the reigning champions, the Crusaders.
While former Blues captain James Parsons was clearly thrilled with the win away from home, it’s how they’re learning to win ugly which he seemed particularly excited about when reviewing the match.
“An away win is huge. We spoke about the crucial nature of this fixture probably blue out chances of winning Super Rugby Aotearoa last year,” Parsons said on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod. “So to go away in round one and get a result like this, and probably left a lot out there.
“I know as a group and hearing Leon [McDonald] speak afterwards, he’s rapped with the result and really happy with the second forty and the shift that the forwards made and the game drivers.
“But left a lot of points out there and a lot of opportunities but the beauty is, they’re learning to win when they’re not quite performing at their best and that’s a massive growth in this team’s development.”
The Blues were somewhat held back by the influence of Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea, who simply had himself a game.
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But the Blues adjusted at half-time and it’s debatable to say, but didn’t really look like losing. Their improved squad depth over the last few years has arguably been their most significant improvement, with the calibre of players that they’re bringing off the bench one of their greatest assets as they begin another push for an evasive Super Rugby title.
When the teams were announced for round one, the Blues had named a formidable back-row made up of All Blacks Akira Ioane, Dalton Papalii and Hoskins Sotutu.
But what that meant is that world-class talent had to start the match from the bench, including props Karl Tu’unukuafe, Ofa Tu’ungafasi and a breakout player from last year in Tom Robinson.
Robinson was highlighted by Parsons on the Pod, as being a game-changing impact player who contributed to a crucial score.
“The Blues forwards in that second forty really rolled up their sleeves and got the job done. The bench that came on really added an impact, and I think a crucial change for the Blues was at the 68-minute mark in Tom Robinson.
“I thought Tom Robinsons sub and his energy really brought them home.
“He was just into everything. The biggest thing that I saw was that support line on Mark Telea. No one was around him and then out of nowhere you saw that big red lock and he just smashed that ruck. It was just such a crucial moment.”
Agreeing with Parsons, Hall spoke about his experience down South with the Crusaders, and how the Blues may be benefiting from just that now.
“The substitutes that came on, they added impact. Especially in these derby games where you probably find at the 50 or 60-minute mark, it’s pretty much a stalemate, then it’s usually on the bench who comes on and adds more of an impact, that actually ends up getting the results in the game and I think the Blues did really well with that with the guys that we’ve talked about.”
“It’s amazing what competition can do as well. You talked around previously with the example of the Crusaders around competitiveness. That 60 to 80-minute mark, traditionally we’ve had some success around those time frames.
“You look at the Blues now, that 23 that you can play or whoever you pick now, they do a job when they come on and they add and add. They actually adds to them wanting to probably play more minutes.
Parsons, who is a former All Blacks hooker, added that it’s a “great luxury” to have depth in the squad now, which is only going to serve the Auckland-based side well.
“That’s the nature of this beast and this competition, you need someone to be able to step in straight away and nothing changes, and that level of standard is kept. And it’s exciting because they certainly know themselves that they didn’t perform at the level that they want.”
Listen to the latest episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod below or find it on your preferred streaming service.
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
24 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
24 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
10 Go to comments