Ihaia West could be the next roll of the dice for the Blues as they seek a first five-eighths with the attacking instincts to ignite their backline.

Apart from their slip-up to the Blues at Eden Park at the start, winning away this season hasn't been an issue for the Crusaders.

Ihaia West may have done enough against the Sharks to be handed his first start for the Blues this week when they take on the Hurricanes.

These last two weeks for the Blues have been a bit like watching the Titanic sink.

Watch a replay of our live blog of the Blues taking on the Sharks in Super Rugby action from Albany Stadium.

A couple of Blues players took some time out during the bye to go bungy jumping off the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Courtesy TheBlues/YouTube.

All Black coach Steve Hansen has put the form struggles of Blues' loose forward Steven Luatua down to poor fitness.

John Kirwan is advocating the return of transfer fees so Auckland and the Blues do not continue to be castigated for losing players they may have helped develop.

Of all the things it's easy to imagine the 1.98m, 120kg Patrick Tuipulotu being, scared is not one of them.

The Blues future is easy enough to predict with five games of this campaign left.

The Blues probably lack a genuine team culture and departing Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett failed to understand the region he represented, according to Massey rugby researcher Jeremy Hapeta.

If the recent defeat to the Chiefs marked the death knell for the Blues' season, the haemorrhaging started last year.

The loss to the Chiefs not only extended the Blues' away losing record to 13 in a row, it also effectively ended their chances of making the playoffs.

The ball-carrying power of Patrick Tuipulotu has been noted by the All Black selectors who will almost certainly name the Blues lock in their wider training squad on Monday.

The Chiefs picked their new home to display some of their old form and seize control of the New Zealand conference.

Ma'a Nonu's impressive burst of form isn't just giving the Blues a belated, unexpected shot at making the Super Rugby playoffs.

There is no overstating the importance of this next match for the Blues.

Gregor Paul and Wynne Gray give their expert opinion on the up coming battle between the Chiefs & the Blues in New Plymouth this Friday.

The search for a new coaching team for Sir John Kirwan and the 2015 Blues will kick off in earnest next month, but it appears Tana Umaga has ruled himself out of contention.

Another season, the same old problem for Australian rugby. They're soft, writes Chris Rattue.

Blues coach Sir John Kirwan has put the onus on his players to look at how they prepare for matches.

Ma'a Nonu, a revelation for the Blues since his return to the franchise, is in the Super rugby form of his life, and has good news for All Black supporters.

The return of Jerome Kaino has taken competition for places among the All Black loose forwards to an even higher level.

The Blues thrashed the Reds 44-14 at Eden Park tonight. Read the full match report from Gregor Paul.