STUNWOLVES!
Umaga takes blame for new Blues low
Firstly, congratulations to the Sunwolves — what a marvellous, spirited and brave performance that was against the Blues in the blazing Tokyo heat.
This remarkable 48-21 victory was only their third in two Super Rugby seasons and easily ranks as their best. And they should have won by more.
They blew several other tryscoring opportunities in the second half as the Blues succumbed to a perfect storm of Jerome Kaino’s yellow card — his second in two matches for high tackles — and their own incompetence.
Up 21-14 at halftime, after the break the Blues played with all the fluency and skill of a bunch of blokes who had never met each other before.
It was an extraordinary meltdown and a terrible way to see off Charlie Faumuina and Steven Luatua, two stalwarts who deserved better.
Nothing can take away from the Blues’ achievement in beating the British and Irish Lions recently, but this defeat will tarnish their season.
The most worrying thing from coach Tana Umaga’s perspective is that apart from the team’s failure to make good decisions under pressure and maintain their skill levels, they appeared to lack fight.
Apart from farewelling Faumuina, Luatua and Ihaia West and maintaining their professional standards despite the fact they couldn’t make the playoffs, there was little for the Blues to play for. Umaga hinted during the week that a lack of motivation among some players had been a factor in his selections.
It was an astute observation. His players, who until this point had appeared to have responded to him in his second year at the franchise, clearly thought they could run over the top of the competition easy-beats but then fell apart when the home side failed to follow the script.
For Umaga, this result is a stark illustration of how much work is needed still to mould this franchise into a consistently high-performing outfit, one that can grind out victories anywhere at any stage of the season, whether or not there is anything riding on the result.
If hope is the killer for the Blues supporters, the inconsistency of their team is a constant wounding niggle.
Only a few weeks ago, they turned their match against the Lions on its head at Eden Park with a marvellous performance filled with courage and skill, and yet in their next game, looked like a bunch of amateurs.
It should be a long and quiet journey back to Auckland for Umaga and his team. This defeat, surely the worst in the history of a franchise which has won three Super Rugby titles, will take some getting over.
Now is the time for self-reflection and a determination for such a performance to never happen again.
Now is the time for self-reflection and a determination for such a performance to never happen again.