Is this the year the Blues get it right?
New Zealand's masters of Super Rugby underachievement are hopeful this is their year. Again. Marc Hinton reports in the fourth of our Super Rugby buildup series.
It has become a now annual event you can rely on like the February summer bloom. The Blues assemble for another Super season pledging this is their year, that they’ve learned the lessons of failures past and that it’s redemption time . . . only to roll out yet another sub-standard effort and flatter once again to deceive.
Blues fans should be handed boxes of tissues with their season tickets. There has been a lot to weep about over the last decade of ineptitude in New Zealand’s most populous and well-resourced rugby region. The more they promise, the more they disappoint.
The Crusaders may specialise in finals footy, but the Blues are unequivocally the masters of under-achievement and champions of talking themselves up, only to fall in a heap when it matters.
The record book testifies to this. They last played finals football – and had a winning record – in 2011. Since then their overall finishing positions read: 12th, 10th, 10th, 14th, 11th, 9th, 14th and 13th. They have finished last in the New Zealand conference for the last six seasons on the hop.
Not coincidentally, their head-to-heads against their fellow Kiwi sides – their measuring sticks – is an embarrassment.
Take tonight’s season-opening opponents, the Chiefs, for example. The Blues did scramble a 23-8 home victory over their closest neighbours in their most recent matchup last season. But prior to that the Hamilton outfit had rattled off a 15-match unbeaten run (14 victories, 1 draw) against their northern neighbours.
It’s a similar story against all their Kiwi peers. They simply don’t measure up, even if they’re more often than not right in the contest against their main rivals.
But there is some hope at Alexandra Park in 2020, more than the usual candy-floss optimism and enthusiasm that accompanies this time of the year when they at least start
things off on equal footing.
There has been a lot wrong with the Blues over the last decade, selfawareness among their most glaring weaknesses. The more they failed, the more they seemingly failed to recognise the factors contributing to their demise.
But change has been a constant at the franchise over the last couple of years. Leon MacDonald came in to head a coaching overhaul at the start of last season, while Andrew Hore has taken the CEO’s reins for this one. There has been a board shakeup as well, and, finally, a much more cohesive approach among the constituent unions.
Almost laughably, the relationship between the Auckland, North Harbour and Northland unions who make up the Blues was all but dysfunctional until bridges were built and fences mended ahead of the start of the 2019 season. They are now at least sitting round the same table and spitballing the key issues.
Fundamental change, of course, does not happen overnight and in 2019 there was little discernible improvement from the Blues. They won just won more match than the season before in finishing 5-1-10 and six points off a fairly generous top-eight finals cutoff.
But they were not a millions miles away, finishing their season with singledigit defeats to the Crusaders, Reds and Hurricanes to go with a home draw against the Bulls. Close but no cigar.
And the new coaching setup of MacDonald, Tom Coventry, Tana Umaga and Daniel Halangahu – hastily assembled for 2019 – have now had a season under their belts, have selected their own squad and start 2020 a lot further down the track than they did their first campaign.
There have been notable defections, with veteran midfielders Sonny Bill Williams and Ma’a Nonu gone, as well as consistent fullback Melani Nanai and feisty halfback Augustine Pulu.
But there is enough continuity to offer more than false hope. The core is intact, especially up front where they have quality in depth in the front row and loose forwards, if not in the lock department. Standout 2019 rookie Tom Robinson starts there tonight alongside skipper Patrick Tuipulotu.
The Blues, of course, picked up the most notable off-season signing of the competition in All Blacks superstar Beauden Barrett – a difference-maker if ever there has been one.
The only problem is he won’t make his first appearance until mid-April and by then the damage could be done. Stephen Perofeta, Otere Black (out with a rib injury just now) and Harry Plummer will hold the fort until then.
There remain major questions hovering over these Blues. Mental strength and culture have been key areas of deficiency. Can they be improved? They look a little underresourced in the back three as well. And they would not want to lose Tuipulotu for any length of time.
MacDonald is optimistic. ‘‘We feel like we were in the fight last year. The challenge is to learn from those close losses. We’ve consolidated a lot of stuff, banked that and hopefully it’s going to put us in position to turn a couple of those close losses into wins. That’s all we need to make the playoffs.’’
Is this the Blues’ year? Aren’t they all?