Blues have turned corner, says Umaga
‘ When we enjoy ourselves and are united as a group things go well.’ TANA UMAGA
FOR one reason or another it’s taken the Blues almost the full season to figure out who they are, and what makes them click.
There was always going to be a bedding in period with Tana Umaga, another new coach, coming on board.
But the 40-15 victory over the previous Australian conference leading Brumbies at Eden Park on Friday night gave validity to the belief the Blues have improved.
Finally, there is genuine hope for this team and its longsuffering fans.
Mark the June break down as a turning point. Since then the Blues embraced width, speed, offloads and support play with devastating rewards. That was even true in last week’s loss to the Hurricanes.
They’ve also been smarter, with Ihaia West and Piers Francis varying their respective kicking games for space, and not attempting to run everything when it’s not on.
During the last two weeks Steven Luatua has been a man possessed, busting tackles on the edge and freeing his arms at will. Jerome Kaino has scored four tries after returning from the All Blacks as he feeds off the rejuvenated outlook.
And then there’s Melani Nanai, who is quickly making the fullback spot his own.
Behind the scenes there’s been a focus on tackling those mental scars - and addressing off-field distractions.
‘‘We’re getting young kids coming through one or two years out of school who are earning a lot of money and have a lot of extra stuff and attention that they never had before.
‘‘Sometimes it gets lost what they used to do to get them to where they are - and what they’re good at. It’s making sure we keep that balance and they understand ways to deal with those pressures from outside, at home and everywhere.‘‘
Another physical and mental test arrives next week, with the Waratahs coming to town for the Blues final match. Win that, and secure a positive win ledger, and there can be no arguments that the Blues are in a much better place than any in recent memory.
‘‘I think we are - hopefully you’ve seen that. In terms of dealing with adversity on the field and GETTY IMAGES you can see that confidence to play. That’s what we did as kids.
‘‘It’s a bit faster and tougher now but it’s still the same game.
‘‘When we enjoy ourselves and are united as a group things go well and we’ve got to keep doing that.’’