KEY POINTS:
It has been two years since coach David Nucifora has felt such anguish about the Blues, a side beset by a lack of conviction and ill-discipline.
Humbled 40-9 by the Waratahs two seasons ago, the Blues suffered repeat indignities when they fell 37-16 on Saturday as they continued the decline which has plagued them in the past month.
Where there was a zip about the Waratahs, best illustrated by new halfback Luke Burgess, there was a sluggish and unruly edge to the Blues which provoked indignant responses from Nucifora.
The stagnation has enveloped the Blues for the past five matches, with the coaching staff offering weekly doses of optimism about improvement. During that spell they have scraped two victories with late kicks and been beaten three times, the latest loss in Sydney being the worst.
A beacon of hope is the expected return this week of fullback Isa Nacewa to face a Brumbies side that have not matched the calibre of their predecessors.
The Waratahs even had the extra distractions of losing their coach, their star blindside flanker, Rocky Elsom, and of being caught up in all the political shenanigans of the Sydney rugby scene - yet they won playing away.
The Blues have lost their attacking clout and their defence has started to wobble. They scored 18 tries and yielded six in the opening three rounds but in the five matches since have scored nine tries and conceded 15.
"The lack of confidence is a concern because once you start to hesitate you lose the edge and if you hesitate the half gap isn't there any longer ... the advantage line isn't there," Nucifora said. "We are not capitalising on breaks, we need to be asking questions more of our opponents."
Mistakes were hindering the Blues' continuity and releasing the pressure on their rivals. The ill-disciplined pattern re-emerged in Sydney and it was that lack of endeavour, discipline and concentration which rankled Nucifora.
"It was just not the effort we were looking for," he said. "The first half set the tone for the match with our ill-discipline. We gave away 11 penalties in the first 40-minute period and it just killed us."
Referee Marius Jonker warned the Blues early he would sinbin their next offender and hooker Keven Mealamu was the culprit when he failed to roll clear at a tackle. In his absence the Blues leaked 10 points.
Playmaker Nick Evans created one try with a break and a deft grubber but two poor chipkicks contributed to Waratahs tries in the second half. It was a one-step-forward-two-back routine that continued for much of the game, with the Blues releasing the pressure far too easily through their own mistakes.
The weight of possession and territory the Waratahs were allowed to build brought them the confidence to play with a style which had been missing from much of their season.
"We need to change a couple of things to get ourselves back on track," said Nucifora without being specific.
He has shown allegiance to a core of players and while doubts have been voiced about it, Nucifora is restricted in his options. Fullback is one example with neither George Pisi nor Ben Atiga standing out as reliable deputies for the injured Nacewa.
At halfback Nucifora has the choice of the steady Danny Lee, who distributes well but does not test inside defenders, or Taniela Moa, who is more exciting but error-prone.
The pack has also lost some of its crunch but Nucifora has few selection alternatives. He could try Troy Flavell as blindside flanker and use Anthony Boric or Bryn Evans at lock while John Afoa looks like he needs a spell to get over a few niggles.
The Blues are still third in a compressed points table, which Nucifora said was about the only positive thing to emerge after the latest round. They need to claim a victory this week against the Brumbies to stay in the lead group before they have a bye followed by a massive away game against the Crusaders.
Finding a winning spark and the right selection balance are this week's priorities.
