‘We didn't adjust, it was very frustrating’: Blues captain puzzled after Brumbies defeat

Life as the reigning Super Rugby Pacific champions couldn’t be much worse right now for the Blues and Vern Cotter, starting the new campaign with only one win from four games.

On Friday evening at Eden Park the star-studded Blues led for most of the game against the Brumbies and with All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett strolling in close to the posts early in the first half, it seemed like they had it under control.

The ACT Brumbies had other ideas, locking down a dangerous Blues attack in the second half to keep the home side scoreless in the second 40.

Cotter, who was clearly disappointed after the match in Auckland, wasn’t happy with his team’s handling errors in the air.

“I think we probably didn’t take the ball in the air as well as we should have, we turned over quite a bit of possession and then all we had to do at the end was get it down the other end, and couldn’t manage to do it,” Cotter said to media post-match.

“We couldn’t get our line out and scrum right so I think it’s just around possession and then the use of it effectively.”

When asked about areas that Cotter thought the Blues managed poorly, set piece and the breakdown were the main issues for his side.

“Yeah, it was surprising, because I thought we had dominance at the breakdown, but we’ll have another look at it. There were a couple of surprise decisions in there, I thought, but we need to be better than that.

“We need to be better and that’s just the reality of a tough game, they weren’t going to go away. They stayed right on it and to lose the last minute, it’s always disappointing.

Barrett, who was replaced at half time by Harry Plummer, was nursing a hand injury that stopped him from being able to hold the ball properly.

The injury to the 134-Test All Black could be costly for the Blues, but the extent of the injury will be known in the coming days.

“He (Barrett) will need an X-ray, it doesn’t look particularly good, but wait for the results.

“I think there’s enough experience out there and Harry did well last year, Patrick Tuipulotu was there too, it was just one of those games.

All Blacks lock and Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu admitted the lineout against the Brumbies didn’t function at a high enough level, as well as the handling errors under pressure.

“I guess lineouts were a bit of a struggle tonight, obviously we couldn’t capitalize on that high ball, we sort of aimed to dominate there.

“We didn’t adjust, it was very frustrating again, and that’s where they survived. So they were able to disrupt our ruck and then sort of shift our cleaners, block them, and then get a clean jackle.

Decision making has been a talking point among Blues fans this season, and Cotter feels it is situation-dependent, backing his leaders on the field to make the right decision.

“That’s how the game feels, isn’t it? Because you’re not guaranteed to get the three.

“I think if the team feels dominant in an area, they’ll go to it. Traditionally, we’ve been quite good with lineouts and getting points from it.

“When they’re on that 15-meter touchline, it becomes a little harder to kick. So your choices are usually around where it’s positioned.”