Lam sees upside in

BLUES coach Pat Lam had mixed emotions after the loss to the Highlanders at Eden Park last night.

While errors left spectators frustrated, there were positive signs for the future, too, and although they ended up the losing side they did, at least, start brighter than they had for most of the season.

‘‘It was another frustrating night in one sense,’’ Lam said. ‘‘It’s two games now where we had a real chance to win and I was pretty pleased with the energy, commitment, body language and physicality.

‘‘If you go back to the opportunities they got and how we gave them, that was frustrating.

‘‘There were some new boys who went out there and I thought they performed very well and the older guys came on and did a really good job.

‘‘It gave us a sniff but at the end of the day we coughed up too many points.’’ Lam singled out Steven Luatua as one of the brightest young players in the game, predicting a great future ahead for him in a Number 6 jersey.

He also said it was Ma’a Nonu’s best game for the Blues but a real low point was the lineout throw that went straight to Adam Thomson to gift him a try.

‘‘It was a killer,’’ said Lam. ‘‘We introduced a two-man lineout, so the other team can’t lift, but they got away with three in there and a halfback, which is why both Braids were going pretty hot at Jacko (referee Glen Jackson) for that because it was a numbers call.

‘‘But also on our part we’re not supposed to throw it if there’s a guy down the back there.

‘‘They had an extra guy in the