Something old, something Blues – RTS
Roger Tuivasa-sheck has been taking a lot in during an increasingly impressive rookie rugby campaign with the Blues in Super Rugby Pacific – but there’s one phrase he notices keeps coming up over and over again.
It happened again late on a chilly Saturday night in Canberra when the Blues got out the shovels and dug their way out of a tight spot late to nail a clutch 21-19 victory over the Brumbies to secure the minor premiership with a round up their sleeves, and extend their win streak to a franchise record-equalling 12.
It seems remarkable for anyone who has covered this franchise over a pretty desolate last decade or so, but after dropping a heartbreaker to the Hurricanes in round 1, the one-time brittle Blues have run off a dozen victories on the bounce, and now cannot be headed for top spot.
Do not be surprised if the Blues play the smart, and long, game this week, and rest up as many regular starters as they dare for the trip to Sydney, with an Eden Park quarterfinal against the Highlanders all but locked in. It may be time for the backup men to be entrusted with this win streak as the greater ambition takes precedence.
Anyway, back to that phrase the code-hopping Tuivasa-sheck keeps hearing through this remarkable season in which the Blues have won pretty much every way possible. ‘‘It’s crazy – when I talk to these boys a lot of them keep saying the old Blues would have lost that,’’ the work-in-progress that is Tuivasa-sheck told Stuff yesterday.
‘‘I’m just glad that they still look back and respect how they were back then and don’t want go back there. So we’re putting in all the work, and doing the little things right which is awesome. It’s all coming together.’’
It was perhaps the final piece of the puzzle for a talented, but balanced, Blues group that has some of the best coaches in the business. They had to figure out how to negotiate their way through a tight spot. They had to learn to win ugly, as well as with a strut.
‘‘The coaches are saying the growth in us is normally we would lose a game, then would take the lessons on board. But we’re taking the lessons in-game and still finding a way to win. That’s a sign of a good team, and that’s what we’re building towards.’’
Don’t get Tuivasa-sheck wrong. His feet, and those of his teammates, remain bolted to terra firma. They understand that the Brumbies, Force and Crusaders pushed them to the limit, and forced them to dig deep for the result. And that there is a cap on get-out-of-jail cards in sport, as well as life.
‘‘I’ve been in a few teams where we had a lot of talent but just couldn’t execute to get the win. Over here the boys are gaining confidence from each other. We know we’ve got a good team, that we’re doing the little things right, and when we get into those stress moments we’re not panicking. The leaders are stepping up, ‘OK we just need to execute A, B and C and we’ll be all right’. And we’re doing that.’’
Not so buoyant at the moment is Tuivasa-sheck’s off-season training mate Caleb Clarke who has been laid low by a hamstring strain that puts his finals participation in grave doubt.
Typically, that’s three to four weeks minimum – the form wing of Super Rugby has his sights on half that time-frame.
‘‘We’re putting in all the work, and doing the little things right.’’ Roger Tuivasa-sheck