John Drake: Blues need to light that fuse

It's only three games in, but already the Blues are attracting plenty of attention.

Unfortunately for coach Peter Sloane and Co, it's not the attention they really want.

The Blues are like a Formula One racing team which has problems with the engine's timing. They are still in the race, but supporters, media and indeed the team and management know they should be doing better.

The coaching triumvirate of Sloane, David Nucifora and Joe Schmidt are not the types to panic. They have a couple of wins in the bag, but it is the style and enthusiasm which will worry them most.

Three areas are causing particular concern: the loose forwards, the wings and the midfield. But let's look at the specific areas.

There's no real problem in the front row. It was strange that Keven Mealamu was rested against the Chiefs last weekend as he is one of the top two New Zealand hookers. Memo: always start your best players.

Assuming the props are fully fit, the Blues scrum is as good, if not better, than any in the competition, except maybe the Crusaders who have smashed all others at scrum time this season.

The locks have won enough ball at the lineout and halfbacks David Gibson and Steve Devine are satisfactory, with the only criticism in their physicality at the breakdown. But I guess they need quality protection, which isn't always there.

Carlos Spencer has done all required and more. He seems at peace not having the goalkicking burden and has varied his game enough to suggest his season will grow.

The midfield has not fired. I feel for Luke McAlister. He has all the talent on attack and in defence, and is an essential figure for goalkicking.

I guess the test for McAlister and Sam Tuitupou is to get the ball to the wings. This has yet to happen.

So what of the back three? I think that like all great racehorses they are still thinking about idle days in spring.

Have you ever seen in Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko two such extraordinary, world-class players not functioning?

It has to be mental rather than physical. Both are intelligent men and in Howlett's case I wonder if the tedium of life as a rugby professional has just dulled his passion.

At the moment he looks like a track sprinter trying his hand at rugby, not a talented rugby player with track sprinter pace that he once was.

Loose forward is the area that needs most attention. All the personnel are classy players in their own roles. However, looking at the other New Zealand teams, the Blues trio are way off the pace.

Compare them to the Hurricanes' Jerry Collins, Rodney So'oialo and Ben Herring; the Crusaders' Richie McCaw, Reuben Thorne and Sam Broomhall; and even the Chiefs' threesome of Marty Holah, Steven Bates and Sione Lauaki.

The Blues - and Auckland for that matter - are short on a back-up to openside flanker Daniel Braid, who seems to be affected by cumulative injuries.

Blindside Angus Macdonald is solid and No 8 Xavier Rush is industrious, but together with Braid they are struggling.

It may have been time to take a risk by starting with North Harbour's Nick Williams, or, looking ahead, Jerome Kaino when he's finished his suspension. The Blues need an X factor, and these guys may have it.

Enthusiasm and passion are missing from all the forwards and at the ruck and maul. The statistics show the Blues have dominated this area in all games, but I wonder about the quality and speed of the ball.

It is either not set up properly or there are not enough players at the breakdown. The driving body position of the Chiefs last weekend was lower than the Blues'.

This is a mental thing, not a coaching issue. So for Sloane and his assistants it's about igniting the enthusiasm and aggression, particularly of the senior pros.

Sloane has been in the trenches before, dating back to the early Crusaders successes, and Nucifora has come from an environment when maybe the players ended his career because he chose to tell them things they didn't want to hear.

In other words, they're both tough coaches. If ever they wanted a challenge to lift a team, a game against the Crusaders is it.

The Blues can test the Crusaders machine tomorrow night, but will need all concerned to be mentally switched on and wanting to be there. Otherwise it will be a hiding.