By WYNNE GRAY
The Blues and their best form have been unconnected rugby partners for most of the Super 12.
However, they need to gel tonight if the Blues are to keep their unbeaten record against the Hurricanes.
Questions remain, however, after four rounds of the competition on whether the Blues will discover or be allowed to find any consistent quality rugby.
They underlined the theory about flattering to deceive against the Brumbies before carrying on their erratic journey against the Chiefs, Crusaders and Waratahs.
If one part of the Blues' game is working it is the pack. But the backline, apart from a few interludes of peerless work against the Chiefs, have been disappointing. They have not found the happy medium between sevens-style froth or their battering ram approach.
And when the pack cannot recycle possession with enough speed, the backs look even more haphazard, as they did last weekend against the Waratahs. The Blues' good fortune was that the visitors were even more wayward.
A similar luxury is unlikely to occur tonight in Wellington, even though several coaches have doubts about the Hurricanes' play.
Reds coach John Connolly and Cats supremo Laurie Mains have both been defeated and have also been critical of the Hurricanes. After the last round, Mains questioned whether the Hurricanes' pack could improve as the series moved towards the playoffs.
They do not need to improve their courage. The Cats seemed to underestimate the defensive grit of the locals as they tried to bash through close to the rucks and mauls.
Either that, or they were even more wary of moving the ball wide where turnovers would have brought more gluttony for opportunists like Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga.
The Blues have forward punch, too, but will not succeed with a bludgeoning approach. They may choose to attack the middle of the Hurricanes' backline and then look for Orene Ai'i to pick the right angle for second-phase attack.
Backline issues will be getting the ball safely and in space to Doug Howlett, Joeli Vidiri and Adrian Cashmore in the outside lanes, where the Blues may fancy their chances against the defences of Jonah Lomu in his first game for a month. The Hurricanes will play soundly, but the Blues have shown peeks of promise which, if concentrated, could win them this match.
"As a coach, it is a matter of building a team, to get the disciplines going, to work to a plan and I guess there is an immaturity in the side that we are dealing with and it is taking a bit of time," coach Gordon Hunter assessed in the wash-up after the game against the Waratahs.
Whether another week has helped or whether the Blues have a way to go should be answered tonight.
Rugby: Heat on Blues to hit straps
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