Confidence booster for young Blues
The Brisbane Global Tens title couldn’t be further from the Super Rugby crown but for a franchise devoid of recent success, the Blues will take what they can get.
Tana Umaga knows it would be foolish to get all euphoric after watching the Blues capture the second edition of the Tens.
Many of his young squad, the likes of Hoskins Sotutu, one of four players eligible for the under-20s, will now make way for established names. But, in time, these experiences could prove invaluable.
Success also breeds success. It is certainly better to start the season with positive vibes than not, and after emerging as the only unbeaten team from five matches over two taxing days in the Suncorp Stadium heat, the Blues were rightly chuffed with their achievement.
“We’ll take any win at the minute, especially with the group we had over here. It was really young,” Umaga said. “Some had been with us two months, some had been with us two weeks but they showed some real resilience to come together.
“All we can offer these young guys is an opportunity because when our All Blacks or the injured guy comes back they move on but it has given us some insight about their ability to play at this level. Even at this tournament the level is still pretty high; the hits are still there and the physicality came out in the last couple of games and they withstood that well.
“The result is great but some of the off-field stuff and learning to follow through and win those critical moments was really pleasing for us this weekend.”
Of those who will feature come Super Rugby, the performances of young halfback Sam Nock, talented finisher Melani Nanai, George Moala, Akira Ioane and 18-year-old talent Caleb Clarke, named player of the tournament after claiming five tries, boost confidence ahead of the Blues final pre-season hitout against the Hurricanes in Warkworth on Thursday. Then, the real business starts. “We got some confidence out of it. We understand there’s no points awarded in the pre-season. We still need to work on some things and integrate our All Blacks but we’re pretty positive about what’s come out of the last couple of weeks. We do want to kick on from where we’ve been before.”
Jimmy Tupou handed the captaincy reins to Moala on day two and watched on as the former All Blacks midfielder barged over for the matchwinner in the corner at the death, sparking celebrations from every member of the Blues squad.
“He’s a guy that doesn’t say much and likes to lead with his actions,” Tupou said. “It was a moment where he took things upon himself and really went for it. That’s been how we’ve played the last couple of days. We just wanted to have a crack. We had nothing to lose.
“It was an awesome feeling. After two tough days in the heat to get the result, especially the way we did, was pretty awesome.”
What a way also to cap Carlos Spencer’s cameo return. The former All Blacks playmaker took minimal contact and only featured for a handful of minutes but Spencer will forever be revered at the Blues, and his mere presence at training had an impact.
“He’s carrying bags when he gets off the bus. I don’t remember him doing that when I played with him but he’s showing the young guys the way,” Umaga said. “It’s been great having him on board. There must be something about him because he seems to have a knack of winning whenever he’s involved.”