Rugby: Victory whets Blues' appetite

Rudi Wulf surges forward to score for the Blues on Saturday night. Photo / Getty Images

The Blues have woken from their slumberfest to maintain their suspect search for the Super 14 semifinals.

A week ago against the Stormers, they could not shake the lethargy from their game, but at Eden Park on Saturday, against an inferior opponent, the Blues bounced back to claim a 38-17 victory ahead of their three-match tour of South Africa.

The first match there against the Sharks should define this trip although making predictions about the Blues is about as profitable as dealing in Telecom shares. The only certainty is an old coaching maxim delivered by Pat Lam after defeating the Force.

"We have to work as a team not individuals," said the coach. "If we do that we can be a very damaging team, but if we don't then we can be pretty average."

The Blues flew out yesterday with lock Anthony Boric the only withdrawal from the touring squad because of an ongoing ankle ligament complaint. His place has gone to Andrew van der Heijden while George Pisi and Chris Lowrey have failed to make the cut. They may yet be needed as replacements though with Luke McAlister and Rudi Wulf due to become fathers in the next few weeks.

The Blues began lethargically although their scramble defence kept them in the match. The Force botched several tries, James O'Connor skewed several penalty attempts and they had a mere three points to show for their early advantage before the Blues kicked into gear.

In the next 50 minutes they slammed on six tries, four of them converted by Luke McAlister once he found his radar, and raced out to a huge lead before surrendering two soft last minute tries. It was entertainment and frustration all rolled into one package on an evening when showers made it difficult to play the free-wheeling rugby the Blues favour.

Rokocoko looked racy, interested and accurate, Alby Mathewson was decisively sharp, new lock Filo Paulo gave some bite in his set phase duties while the scrum nailed their duties. New flanker Tom Chamberlain was bustling between mistakes at each end of the match, Benson Stanley was supersteady, and Isaia Toeava provoked danger lights for the defence.

All eyes will now be on Durban on Sunday to see whether the Blues can halt their lose one, win one routine. Lam speaks strongly about the growth and backbone in the team and how he believes they are much better than last season. They will need results in the next three away games against the Sharks, Cheetahs and Lions to gain more credence for that statement.

"This is it. We have to look after ourselves well, recover properly because this [Sharks] is a massive test match for us," Lam said.

The Sharks have played poorly this season, beginning with five defeats. They have made some recent gains but look nothing like the side which narrowly lost the 2008 final to the Bulls. The Cheetahs have only won twice but can be tough at home while the Lions have yet to win a match.

After lifting his season's try tally to seven against the Force, Rokocoko said the Blues were aware of their rollercoaster results and wanted to rectify that in Durban.

"We have always felt confident in our game plan," he said. "Even with our defeats we feel we are going the right way."