KEY POINTS:
The Blues are continuing to talk up their Super 14 semifinal chances using the sort of fairyland calculator that has recently burnt a fair few property investors.
Compute together a wild collection of best scenarios and - hey presto - money in the bank, points on the board.
It's called a fool's paradise and the latest Blues collapse has reached the point where sensible supporters should hope the Blues crash further against the Reds, Highlanders and Hurricanes to ensure the current coaching regime is sent packing come the season's end.
Considering the history of appointments at this often under-performing franchise, you can only fear that a late season surge will propel Greg Cooper into the head coaching job for next season - should David Nucifora head back across the Tasman - and consign the Blues to more of the depressing same. Please say it ain't true.
The Blues are in a mighty hole, one almost entirely of their own making through uninspired and confused coaching, and nothing exemplified this more than the roll-the-dice switch which saw Isa Nacewa start at first five-eighths against the Crusaders on Friday night. Contrary to the team named during the week, Nacewa and Nick Evans were switched come kick-off time, with Evans going to fullback. Both men had erratic, ineffective games in an altered-but-talented backline that was crying out for a hub to operate around.
The 2008 Blues' season found a nadir in Christchurch when Evans slammed his late penalty touch finder over the dead ball line to ensure a fifth defeat in 10 games.
It is at these pressure points when the truth is invariably revealed. Had it been Robbie Deans' Crusaders making a late bid for victory, that kick would have found the touchline and a careful lineout drive would have ensued.
In other words, years of coherent planning would have found the mark whereas Evans' deplorable miss summed up the jumbled thinking and erratic performances that have become Blues trademarks.
Never mind why Nucifora and Cooper could possibly think that the switch would suit Nacewa and Evans, especially as Nacewa is a utility who has never made the grade as a Super 14 pivot. For a start, Nacewa doesn't kick the ball that well.
In contrast, Evans can punt further than almost anyone, even if he gives his radar a mighty whack at the same time on occasions.
I recall a similar selection situation a few seasons ago when North Harbour coach Allan Pollock publicly named the veteran Frano Botica at No 10 for a major match against Otago, when his intentions all along were to play Willie Walker.
The post-match reaction of Botica, a terrific pro, was telling. He was mystified at Pollock's shenanigans, and said it almost certainly affected Walker's confidence. He didn't say as much, but I got the impression that Botica was vaguely offended at being employed in the ruse.
All players, especially those in key positions, thrive off a swagger which is hard to achieve when the coach is so unsure about your credentials that he won't let the public and opposition know you're playing until kickoff.
I can't speak to the timing of Nucifora and Cooper's decision. But Evans and Nacewa played as if they did not quite have their minds on the job, or weren't entirely au fait with what their jobs were. There was very little instinct and confidence to their work. It told the story of a Blues outfit which has got to the business end of the season in a shoddy state.
The future lies with the Pat Lam/Shane Howarth coaching combination out of the Auckland heartland, and it can't come soon enough.
Like many of those despondent investors, the Blues will have thrown good money after bad should they combine the Lam team with anyone that is running the Blues now. Yet sadly - tragically - you just can't count against the NZRU engineering such a disaster, one that would see the Blues chips fall even further.
The Queensland Reds have undergone a remarkable personality transplant. They were excellent value and very unlucky in defeat against the Chiefs. Ian Foster's side are entertainers but it was the underrated Reds who played much of the best football in Hamilton. There were many seasons in which you would crawl over broken glass not to watch the Queenslanders. That included last year when Eddie Jones employed the pick-and-drive to such an extent that spectators were tempted to pick up their belongings and drive as far away as possible. Coach Phil Mooney has worked a miracle.
Question of the moment: Are the Waratahs still happy with the decision to sack Ewen McKenzie midseason? He has them handily placed to bid for the Super 14 title after a five-game winning streak. McKenzie remains in the hunt to join David Nucifora as a coach sacked during the season in which he won a title.
Harbhajan Singh definitely isn't a monkey. No, the Indian spinner is a donkey, as in an ass. He has taken cricket to new lows by slapping an opponent, the one saving grace being that it occurred in the Indian Twenty20 league which is a circus anyway.
HIGH:
A classic and ultimately acrimonious showdown between Chelsea and Manchester United in the English premier league. The duel between Chelsea bigheads Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack to take a free-kick was sensational. A terrific, spirited Super 14 clash between the Chiefs and Reds was also top entertainment.
LOW:
Highlanders rugby. Another defeat confirmed that a team which historically punched above its weight is now a punching bag with no hope of escape.
