Wynne Gray: Lam must find a way to get fire into game

Auckland Blues Ali Williams. Photo / Greg Bowker

This season Blues coach Pat Lam changed his methods.

He unpicked the strategies he had favoured in three previous campaigns to try and counter the erratic results which have bedevilled his time with the Blues.

Lam reasoned the only way to fix the inconsistency was to demand quality training during the week, in the belief that would flow into weekend performances.

"We had to be critical of every training run, not let our standards slide in any aspect of what we do, from the practices to activities off the field," Lam told the Herald before the series started.

He believed he had seen signs the entire squad was working at an eight-plus rating in all their activities.

"If we do that throughout the season in all aspects, we should get somewhere."

Two games into the season, Lam has been forced to re-evaluate his side's efforts. They might train like Tarzan during the week, but their Jane-like production against the Chiefs was intolerable.

After twin losses, Lam's stewardship is running at a tick over 50 per cent success and he threatened changes before he left with the side for their two games in South Africa. Lam was highly annoyed, but you wondered if or how he would carry out his menace after mulling over his options on the flight to the Republic.

The evidence came yesterday with Lam changing half his side for this weekend's match against the Bulls in Pretoria. It was a significant cull, but there was only one All Black among the casualties.

Fullback Isaia Toeava has been rested, but that move was signalled before the season as a way of getting Toeava and his hip complaint through an entire itinerary. However, several subdued All Black colleagues, such as Ali Williams and Daniel Braid, have survived while Piri Weepu has been promoted for his first start at the Blues as halfback.

He has been joined by young first five-eighths Gareth Anscombe who has been asked to make his first start in one of the world's most intimidating cauldrons.

New faces this week are Lachie Munro, Sherwin Stowers, Ma'a Nonu, Anscombe and Weepu in the backs while Luke Braid, Charlie Faumuina and Pauliasi Manu come into the pack.

Those who have been replaced are Rudi Wulf and Jerome Kaino, who both stayed in New Zealand because of injury, while Toeava, David Raikuna, Michael Hobbs, Alby Mathewson, Tevita Mailau and Tom McCartney have missed a start in this match.

There have been shuffles too with Benson Stanley pushing out to centre and Rene Ranger to the wing to allow Nonu to make his Blues debut at second five-eighths while blindside flanker Chris Lowrey has moved to fill the injury vacancy at No 8.

Reserve looseforward Brad Mika agreed the side had played fitfully in defeats against the Crusaders and Chiefs and the general plan was to hold the ball and play more rugby.

"They're still strong," he said of the Bulls. "They are dominant on the ball and physical up front. We know that the only way to beat them is up front and to run them round the pitch. If we do that and hold on to the ball it should be a good result."