BAD TO WORSE
Blues humbled on home turf . . . again
At least the Blues are offering variation this year and having spent several seasons never being able to win away, they have now reached June without a single home victory in 2018.
Whether this is a new low or not is hard to tell because they have set so many in the last few years, many of which have come in the last few months.
But it is certainly a fairly awful place for them to be — winless at Eden Park and the competition about to break for the test window.
And on the basis of what they offered against the Rebels, it’s a safe enough bet to back them to go all the way through the season without winning at home.
“It doesn’t make me feel good at all when you see fans walking out early,” said Blues coach Tana Umaga about the failure to win yet at home.
“You are trying to give them some confidence, so that is tough, and the only we can do that is out there [playing] and we aren’t doing that. So we are looking inside ourselves, and not just the players, coaching staff alike.”
They never looked remotely likely to beat the Rebels. They were hesitant and jittery from the start. There was no control, no authority or belief.
The biggest problem with the Blues is that they don’t have a supreme commander-in-chief - a no-nonsense, clear-headed, bold character that ensures they play with obvious conviction and direction.
It looked like once again they drifted in thought and execution for long periods. They always seemed to be carrying passengers — a handful of players that wanted to contribute and be involved but just don’t really know how to go about doing it.
It meant that once again they appeared to be lacking urgency and intensity which isn’t because they lack interest or heart, it’s because they lack confidence.
Not for any meaningful length of time or in the right places on the field.
Their lineout went awry whenever they were hoping to set up for the driving maul. Their defence didn’t hold firm when the Rebels indulged in a little of the unexpected and the Blues’ basics of pass and catch were only good up to a point.
They just couldn’t hold on to the ball for long enough or pick the right runner after they had created the space. And the wild pass to no one by Michael Collins in the last act of the game summed it all up.
As for the Blues’ discipline . . . awful. They conceded a stream of penalties all game, most of them needless. And every time they were pinged, Rebels first-five Reece Hodge would boom the ball down the field and force the Blues to start all over again.
When they were under pressure, everything wilted and they couldn’t keep the Rebels subdued in their own half.
The Rebels, not one of the heavyweights of this competition, were at least good enough to capitalise on the chaos faced.
Hodge’s boot did plenty of damage and Billy Meakes was a menace in the midfield but most credit should go to their pack, while a bit wobbly in the scrum, were well ahead in every other department.
And perhaps the saddest thing of all to contemplate is that a team as mediocre as the Rebels can come to Eden Park with no fear, and even feel a little disappointed that they left with only a 10-point victory margin.
Blues 10 (T. Hepetema tries; S. Perofeta con, pen).
Rebels 20 (B. Meakes (2), D. HaylettPetty
tries; R. Hodge pen, con).