Rugby: Carter will kill us if we give away sloppy penalties, says Lam

Blues coach Pat Lam. Photo / Getty Images

Second-year coaches Pat Lam and Todd Blackadder were loose forwards in the Crusaders' foundation season.

They added another chapter to that association when they swapped five-eighths with Stephen Brett joining the Blues as their backline director this year in exchange for Daniel Bowden, heading away on backup duty.

That deal suited both squads although the Crusaders retained the whip hand because they had Daniel Carter as their supreme commander.

It took Lam just a few minutes yesterday before he delved into that topic in discussing his side's visit to Christchurch on Saturday for the fourth round of the Super 14.

Unprovoked, he mentioned Carter and the danger he delivered.

The Blues had conceded some silly penalties last round against the Reds but escaped with a win. They could not afford, said Lam, to give the Crusaders and sharpshooter Carter any similar sort of advantage.

This clash would be like a test match with the Blues then breaking for a bye. They had steadied with two wins after losing in round one.

"Probably for our confidence and our belief, it has been a huge lift," Lam said. "Particularly for some of the younger guys and probably more a reflection of what we have been doing off the field, just grinding out those wins.

"With this competition, there will always be ups and downs and for us we just focus on what we needed to do," Lam said of the latest 27-18 win against the Reds.

"We have got some good parts which we need to keep working on but as a group the boys believe in what we are trying to do and that game was great for our confidence."

They had recovered after conceding an early try and captain Keven Mealamu's leadership had been strong and composed in the comeback.

The Crusaders always delivered. That was their legacy. They continued to build on their knowledge from previous campaigns. They loved playing at home but this game was also a special encounter for the Blues.

They needed to abide by a basic troika of claiming possession, looking after it and not conceding penalties.

"It is a well-worn recipe," said Lam, though there was nothing tiring about challenging the champions.

"It is about being clever and if you make too many errors they will kill you for it. They are very good at that."

There were still a few injury worries for the Blues. Centre Isaia Toeava was still concerned about a hip problem, loose forward Peter Saili had taken a knock to his shoulder, prop John Afoa had a tight calf muscle and Luke McAlister was several weeks away from a start.

Stand-in centre Rene Ranger had done well against the Reds and kept the heat on for reselection ahead of repaired outside backs Anthony Tuitavake and George Pisi.