BLUES 55
LIONS 10
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The Blues are the only ones giving themselves Super 14 troubles.
After an unchanged side buried the Lions with a superb all-round display at Ellis Park, the coaching staff have to choose whether to build on that momentum or make changes to guard against fatigue on their road trip to South Africa.
It is a delicate balance for coach David Nucifora and his staff.
Their choices were restricted last season because of interference from the All Blacks' conditioning programme, this year they have everyone available and firing.
The same side which opened strongly against the Chiefs had too much pace, cohesion and aggression for the Lions yesterday as they slapped on seven tries topped by an impeccable goalkicking record from Nick Evans.
It was an impressive exhibition from the visitors, whose standards were in a different league to the locals. It also throws up selection gambles about continuing the impetus and sharing the workload in what is an arduous series.
After twin victories to start their campaign, the Blues play the winless Cheetahs this weekend then the Sharks, who were beaten finalists last season. The form guide suggests any Blues combination will defeat the Cheetahs but juggling combinations may also disrupt the rhythm which is building nicely.
Nucifora sidestepped the issue yesterday as he spoke of his delight that his side backed up in the rarefied air in Johannesburg after the lengthy journey to South Africa.
"We will see how we pull up in the next 48 hours. We came through this okay," he said.
He had no preconceived ideas about dealing with the demands of the three-match sequence in the republic, though he was able to use some reserves in the final quarter, including a Super 14 debut for lock Bryn Evans, with the Blues well out of range of defeat.
Evans started the charge early with a dummy and surge through the drifting Lions defenders which lock Kurtis Haiu completed for the first of his two tries. The bonus-point fourth try came after 30 minutes as the Lions failed to counter the waves of ball-carrying menace and rugged hits from forwards Jerome Kaino, Troy Flavell, Nick Williams, John Afoa and Keven Mealamu.
The backline was equally lethal, with midfielder Benson Stanley offering a composed counterpoint to some of the dash and crash around him. He was pivotal in a planned move which unleashed Isaia Toeava into space and also laid on the offload for Isa Nacewa to touch down.
Elsewhere Anthony Tuitavake was all muscle and aggressive twitch fibres like the pack but in Evans, the Blues have signed the backline director they need to challenge for the title. His pace was eye-popping, his decisions clinical and his tactical kicking outmanoeuvred the ordinary Lions.
Nucifora said he was worried about how the Blues would back up but had been delighted by their performance and ability to defend their tryline until the last minutes of the match.
The pre-season work done by the strength and conditioning staff had given him a squad who could play at pace for an entire game.
All New Zealand sides looked as though they had an edge in fitness against South African sides. "Those fitness levels mean we are able to keep the pressure on," said Nucifora.
"People can also overlook the importance of the setpiece."
The Blues' scrum was potent; test prop Tony Woodcock, Mealamu and Afoa in his 50th game were rarely troubled by their opponents but there were a few hiccups in the lineout. No matter, the Blues were way too vigorous for the outclassed Lions.
