Ofa Tu'ungafasi of the Blues fends against Liam Messam of the Chiefs. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Ofa Tu'ungafasi of the Blues fends against Liam Messam of the Chiefs. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Next time, instead of supporting the Blues at Eden Park, I might stay home. Here is a brief list of things to do that might be more rewarding:
• Cleaning the toilet. • Clearing up the broken glass from the wine glass someone left in the door of the fridge so it propelled itself out when I opened the door. • Studying Esperanto • Driving nails through your feet.
You get the picture. Supporting the Blues is not a job for the faint-hearted and these days requires a paid-up subscription to the Auckland Masochists'& Self-Flagellation Society or, at the very least, a happy inability to comprehend what is happening In front of you.
The Blues are the embodiment of the old saying often attributed to Albert Einstein. You know, the one about the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
On Friday night, against a Chiefs XV which may have been close to their third team, the Blues once again did the same thing – lost control of the game – and experienced the same result. Eureka.
Anton Lienert-Brown of the Chiefs offloads against Akira Ioane of the Blues. Super Rugby match, Blues v Chiefs at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
There were more than a few reasons. The Chiefs won the breakdowns, had the edge at scrum and lineout and their driving and mauling play was better, with lower body positions; their defence did better overall though the Blues did pull off some big hits.
Particularly on Damien McKenzie. The little bloke got hit by two thunderously legal tackles from Matt Duffie and Rieko Ioane. The remarkable McKenzie could be called 'The Mighty Atom' and I thought Ioane's tackle may have succeeded in doing an Ernest Rutherford, splitting the atom.
But, no, there was McKenzie, sassy enough to be back on his feet after a brief recuperation, petitioning the ref about a possible penalty and/or card – and God knows, there's been more cards flying round these days than a game of canasta at an Edwards Scissorhands convention.
Rieko Ioane of the Blues tackles on Damian McKenzie of the Chiefs. Super Rugby match, Blues v Chiefs at Eden Park. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
With the Chiefs' last-minute losses of Brodie Retallick and Shaun Stevenson, McKenzie ended up at fullback where he showed his last-line-of-defence weakness, brushed away by Akira Ioane in scoring his try as if he was a bit of fluff left by the cat on the couch overnight.
But we're not here to talk about McKenzie, though the little darter has yet to make a really decent fist of his mission this year: first-five.
The Blues' biggest crime, I thought, was the timing of the pass. Crime 1: Malani Nanai is another artful dodger but he and many of his team-mates have a propensity to take the tackle and then look for the pass.
The offload is a considerable attacking weapon – but so is the timed pass. Nanai had Akira Ioane and Rieko Ioane outside him and only two defenders ahead. The Blues and every rugby team in this country train for situations like that, manufacturing identical situations. At training, they deliver the pass, back up, take another pass and maybe throw another one – with ball beating man and the try scored.
This time, Nanai took the tackle, tried to find Akira Ioane with an offload, the impact knocked his compass off course and sent the ball behind Ioane. Chiefs halfback Brad Weber had the pick-up and a scamper 50m for a try.
Crime 2: George Moala, briefly an All Black in 2015-16. With the game in the balance, Moala scampered out towards the left wing. Outside him were Jimmy Tupou and Duffie, an All Black wing and more than capable finisher.
This time, there was only one Chiefs defender within cooee. Moala, off to Europe after this season, took the tackle, the Chiefs swamped the breakdown; the chance was lost along with the game. The sad finish – Leni Apisai throwing in crooked to a last-gasp, goal-line attacking lineout – was as much a piece of tragi-comedy as it was incidental; the match should have been won in the Moala Moment.
There's no doubt Moala is a considerable player but equally no doubt his All Black career has been shortened because his midfield distribution skills do not quite match his power and athleticism.
The Blues have been pulling off this stuff for years now and focus will inevitably shift to the coach if they keep having Einstein moments. We all love Tana Umaga but then we all love Sir John Kirwan too…and Pat Lam.
The Blues' coaching roundabout doesn't quite resemble that of the Warriors but results do. However, Friday's lost chances raise the uncomfortable thought that, if the current batch of players can't execute the passing manouevres they practise precisely for match-winning moments like these, the problem may not be with the coaching staff.
