Kiwi domination new goal at Blues
Auckland-based Super side put the disappointment behind them
The resurgent Blues, fourth on the Super Rugby table when the competition was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic six weeks ago, have been denied their chance of a first playoff place since 2011 but have quickly adopted a new goal: to win the allKiwi showdown if and when it starts.
In an interview with the Herald, Leon MacDonald said he and his fellow coaches were still waiting to hear from the Government on whether they can re-assemble at their Alexandra Park headquarters when the nation moves to level 2, a change in status which won’t happen until midnight on May 11 at the earliest.
“We’re really hoping we’ll get permission to get back together at level 2 and that would be ideal,” he told the Herald. “We know we can get back together at level 1. If it doesn’t happen, we have a plan for the longer term but fingers crossed it’s level 2.”
Should they get the green light, MacDonald said his players would probably need only three weeks of training before they would be ready for a game. There has been no official announcement about a revised competition but the common consensus in New Zealand is it will feature the five Kiwi sides.
Of the Kiwi sides, only the Crusaders (third, with a game in hand) were above the Blues before Covid19 pulled the rug from under them.
“If we play a New Zealand-wide competition which looks most likely, obviously the big goal is to try to win it,” MacDonald said.
“Our first goal at the start of the season was to play really well at home in front of our home fans and then the next evolution if we can start doing that well is to start consistently winning away as well. We were making some good gains — the important thing is to stay heading in the right direction.”
One significant hurdle — to beat a New Zealand team away from home — was achieved in Wellington on March 7 when the Blues deservedly downed the Hurricanes 24-15 with the assistance of the home side, who lost prop Tyrel Lomax to a red card six minutes after halftime with Vaea Fifita and Jordie Barrett in the sinbin during the final 12 minutes.
The monkey was off the back only to be replaced by Covid-19.
The mental health of the Blues’ staff (redundancies wouldn’t have helped with morale) and players has been a big priority for the franchise and in a recent question and answer session for fans put on by sponsor nib, MacDonald revealed All Blacks mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka had provided assistance.
“People can have tough days but overall there’s a lot of communication and everyone seems well supported,” MacDonald said. “There are no major red flags but they can be hard to pick up, too, so we’re conscious of that.
“We’re trying keep the players busy and distract them from what’s going on.
We’re to giving them little projects and they’ve started trying to outdo each other. Some guys are probably a little more reserved but have come out of their shells. We’ve had some good videos and our Wednesday Zoom meetings have become a real highlight of the week.”
Hooker Kurt Eklund was one player who had distinguished himself as a mickey-taker-in-chief as far as picking on the coaches was concerned. Humour helped, MacDonald said, and so did admitting you were struggling.
“The big thing that Gilbert Enoka mentioned to us was if you do feel like the situation’s getting on top of you, acknowledge it. You’re probably thinking too far ahead, or too far into the past — so just try to concentrate on some things throughout the day that can help you get through the day, things that make you smile and that you enjoy.
Try and put yourself in situations where you feel like you’re in control.”