Blues 24 Reds 31
It might have been better for the Blues last night if the lights had stayed off at North Harbour Stadium. That way at least, according to competition rules, they would have been able to claim a draw.
Instead, they were treated to what men of a certain generation would recognise as a tanning.
A final-quarter burst shouldn't detract from the truth - the Blues had the fork stuck in them 10 minutes after halftime and then they were done. Dead and buried and the three tries they clawed out of the embers don't constitute a performance.
Defensively they were bad. Very bad. There were an unforgivable number of missed tackles. Sloppy, uninterested attempts to put men down.
They'll need to look at their system, but the crux of the problem was not structural it was technique and attitude. Both went missing too often and there will be some collective shame in the camp this morning.
"We need to get our attitude right," said Blues coach Pat Lam.
"It shows again that attitude goes a long way. We knew the Reds would have it and we made far too many mistakes."
Certainly too many for one irate fan who vented his rage at the Blues coaching box in the final minutes. He twice attempted to make his way into the box, waving his match tickets and demanding a refund.
Lam was able to smile about the incident, preferring not to get involved. "People get emotional and they vent their frustration in different ways. You get used to it but you have got to be bigger than that."
Mr Angry was no doubt incensed by the fact it was just too easy for the Reds to carve their way through the thin Blues line. Digby Ioane could scarcely believe he was able to skip past so many static defenders to score the Reds' third try 10 minutes into the second half. He was still smiling when the Blues' generosity kicked up a level to allow Charlie Fetoai a clear run to secure the bonus try.
At 31-5 with 25 minutes remaining, the Blues were sunk; their campaign in serious bother.
They owed the crowd a serious attempt at a comeback, but the road back to victory was too long. Besides, the Blues didn't have the ball retention or presence at the breakdown to make an impact.
That was the hardest part to fathom. Their mid-season turnaround has been built on their increased and improved physicality at the collision.
The Lions and Highlanders were both annihilated in those areas and yet the Reds were able to own the contest last night. They didn't much look like a side languishing near the foot of the table.
They were street smart in the collisions and clever enough to quickly realise that attacking tight to the ruck was going to gain them yards. Berrick Barnes, who wore 12 but played 10, showed what a gifted talent he is in the way he glided past defenders and pulled others out of position with his delayed passes and feints. Someone in the Blues really needed to do a number on him - bury him with a thump by way of advice to cut out the tricky stuff.
Someone also needed to get a shoulder on fullback Mark McLinden who was rather useful at taking the ball back. Actually, most of the Reds' backline were able to contribute. They were given space and a soft defence - the perfect combination.
The Blues now face an enormous test of character. This was their third home defeat and their third defensive meltdown. They have shown they can play some football when they are focused; when they remember that the sleeves have to be rolled up and the dirty jobs taken care of first.
Jimmy Gopperth's last minute conversion of his own try gave the Blues two points from the evening and will keep them in the mix. They are there by default, though. They owe their presence in that group of contenders to their ability to snare bonus points.
They are far from convincing and if they repeat last night's opening 60 minutes they will disappear from sight over the next three weeks.
Lam said the side will regroup tomorrow and ask some questions of each other.
Blues 24 (I. Toeava, P. Saili, K. Haiu J. Gopperth tries; J. Gopperth 2 cons)
Reds 31 (B. Barnes, J. Horwill, D. Ioane, C. Fetoai tries; B. Barnes 4 cons, pen)
STADIUM BOSS UNFAZED BY BLACKOUT
It was embarrassment and frustration rather than concern about future events that was gripping North Harbour Stadium boss Brendon O'Connor last night.
After four minutes, the ground was plunged into partial darkness when a power cut ripped through the Oteha Valley. With no emergency generator, proceedings were delayed for 45 minutes while the Vector engineers plugged the floodlights at the northern end into an alternative electricity source.
By the time the players came back out - the Blues minus Chris Lowrey, who suffered a serious knee injury before the stoppage - the sense of occasion had gone and there was a taint to the evening.
However, O'Connor said there was no reason to start fretting about the stadium's ability to host its three World Cup games in 2011.
He said there are no plans to introduce a back-up generator, with the preference instead being to have Vector engineers on site to deal with any problems.
Neither side seemed too bothered by the floodlight failure.
"It was the same for both
sides," was Blues captain Keven Mealamu's assessment, "and it was not something we could control."
The Blues were far more concerned with the elements they could control but didn't. Coach Lam is a cheerful, positive bloke who doesn't appear to be fazed by much. Under the surface, though, he will have been simmering. Ultimately he carries the can, yet the Blues' single greatest failing was their attitude.
If players don't bring ferocity to their defensive work; if they don't commit mentally to being all they can be and more, then there is not much the coach can do from his impotent position in the stands.
The Blues have six days to turn things around before they face a rampant Hurricanes side in Wellington. Bonus points won't be enough for the Blues then. It will be all or nothing.
