Rugby: Quantity not quality for Blues

Blues fullback and tryscorer Isaia Toeava looks to fend off Sarel Pretorius of the Cheetahs in Whangarei. Photo / Getty Images

Three wins in a row, unbeaten in their last five games ... time for a rest.

It looked that way for the Blues as they lurched past the Cheetahs 29-22 in Whangarei on Saturday.

They can go to their break well pleased. Not so much with their style or their standards but with their ability to get results.

In coach Pat Lam's tenure, the Blues had never succeeded in three straight matches.

Instead, they brought an untidy win-loss pattern, an infuriating lack of consistency.

They still have their moments and it is worth recording that their unbeaten streak has come against sides with inferior records this season.

First victim this season was the Lions (1 win from 6 games), then a lucky draw with the Force (1-4-1) then wins against the Hurricanes (1-4), the Chiefs (2-5) and the Cheetahs (1-6).

The Blues will say forget about the calibre of the opposition, you have to achieve results - and they have.

No New Zealander will complain about the All Blacks methods or styles if they win the World Cup this year.

The bottom line in that tournament is results and in the latest edition of the Super 15, the Blues have achieved their targets.

They were sloppy and disjointed in much of their work on Saturday and conceded three late tries to a Cheetahs side who in truth, were never in with a shout of victory.

"We're pleased to get five points, and it's like nine with the bye next week," Lam said.

That interval will give rehab time for some of the battered troops - men such as Jerome Kaino, Anthony Boric, Daniel Braid, Filo Paulo, Tony Woodcock, John Afoa, Peter Saili and Jared Payne.

Woodcock was the latest casualty with a calf injury on Saturday.

The Blues resume against the Waratahs in a fortnight.

"The bye couldn't come soon enough, with the boys struggling out there with a lot of niggles," said Lam.

"It was a pretty loose performance, we made a lot of errors and it looked like it went pretty quiet out there. We made it difficult for ourselves."

There were strong individual performances from Isaia Toeava, Luke McAlister, Stephen Brett, Mealamu, Saili and Kurtis Haiu, but a general lack of team cohesion.

That was reinforced in a late slapstick moment when Rokocoko and Rene Ranger collided on attack, turned the ball over and 65m later the nifty Sarel Pretorius scored.

The Cheetahs "scored" a brilliant 80m try early, but assistant refereeBen Skeen rubbed it out because ofinterference.

The Blues claimed their bonus point when Toeava cut past an uncertain defence, put on his double fend and scooted for the chalk.

But as he did, he juggled the ball before regaining control.

It was one more little blip to tease and tweak Lam's demeanour before the form fullback scored - a piece of play which encapsulated the Blues performance.

But look at the scoreboard, look at the points table; carry on, Blues.