Blues 11
Brumbies 16
KEY POINTS:
The Blues' brainless rugby looked even worse yesterday when they discovered the Hurricanes and Waratahs had overtaken them in the race to the Super 14 play-offs.
Even more discouraging was the fact those teams have a game in hand while the Blues are faced with a torrid closing run that includes matches against series favourites the Crusaders and the Hurricanes.
Coach David Nucifora accepted his side was "walking a tightrope now" in their challenge for the semifinals, a routine they are now attempting without a safety net because of their continuing ineptitude. They have become the circus rather than the performers.
There was an alarming similarity about the Blues' direction either side of Saturday night's interval until the rare, 75th-minute sweeping interplay which brought a try for Rudi Wulf.
Mythbuster Tony Woodcock led a bruising Blues scrum which should have laid on the advantage for the backs but their average tactical output, a struggling lineout, ill-discipline and the Brumbies' superiority at the breakdowns, consigned the hosts to their second straight defeat, their fourth in the past six games.
"We really didn't play very smart football for a fair bit of the game," Nucifora said. "We had a plan to go to, we knew what they were going to do, we knew they were going to come off their line at us and we knew we had to turn them around and we didn't do it nearly enough."
Nucifora would not single out any tactical culprits - those who should have recognised when to change strategies to deal with the Blues' static possession figures. But Nick Evans, Isa Nacewa and Danny Lee in the backs should catch those tempo changes while captain Troy Flavell and former skipper Keven Mealamu should have felt that pack's pulse.
Then there are the coaches, Nucifora and assistant Greg Cooper, who deliver instructions throughout the game. Were they not on the same frequency? Did the messages get through and, if so, were they ignored?
For the past month, opposition sides have employed similar rushing, suffocating tactics. It's not as if the Brumbies did anything new.
It was also baffling to watch an impaired Isaia Toeava carry on after damaging his ankle and a dazed Lee struggle on after some heavy shots.
Cooper's explanation said a little and a lot. He thought the team would have been under a lot of pressure if Toeava was replaced because they were also unsure whether Nacewa would last his entire comeback game. He did, and played very soundly.
But the Blues do not have great faith in the players outside their core selections; six players have yet to start a match while four others have started two games or less.
Cooper said some younger players needed to step up to help Evans and Nacewa though he maintained the line that their confidence would soar if they could score early in games. That will be a tough ask in their next match against the Crusaders.
