Struggling franchise sends SOS to Warriors as fans flee

Warriors for advice about resuscitation methods.

“They’re happy to share their journey over the last few years and that’s the nature of sport — we’re very collegial and we share what we can.

“People vote with their feet if they’re not seeing performances they’re not happy with and we have to accept that.”

Blues fans are fed up. Rightly so. A continued run of 15 straight defeats to New Zealand opposition clings to this team like a 10 tonne home detention bracelet. The embarrassing loss to the Sunwolves last year also sits on Umaga’s watch.

Umaga, the revered former All Blacks captain, arrived at the helm of the Blues in 2016 with widespread support; the anointed one to fix the unfixable after success with Counties Manukau.

As many before him discovered, the Blues’ problems run much deeper than surface cracks.

This season Umaga has not been helped by a string of injuries — 18 in total. That has forced promotion of fringe players to starting roles, only enhancing a sense of dysfunction and plummeting confidence.

The presence of rookie first fiveeighth Stephen Perofeta, 21, at fullback highlights struggles with quality depth. In this regard, Umaga is merely making do with depleted stocks, although some selections have been questionable.

When it comes to breaking this cycle of failure, recruitment and retention are clear challenges.

Redman, for all his well-planned corporate speak, had no genuine answers for the path forward other than asserting Umaga would stay and hinting there may be changes to the wider coaching team which includes Alistair Rogers (defence), Steve Jackson (forwards), Dave Ellis (skills), Kylie Wilson (mental skills), Jason Price (conditioning) and Ben Afeaki (scrum).

“If you make a change someone is going to want to start again. Do we have an appetite for that or do we keep going with those who have been at the coalface for a while and bank the institutional knowledge and experience we have so far?

“We’ll work through a process to determine what the coaching group looks like.

“The head coach is the most important appointment we make but he is one of four or five. Getting the coaching group right and the support around the head coach is important.”