Robinson and Faiane can help Blues back on track
The wheels haven’t so much fallen off the Blues campaign as their bus is stranded on the side of the road with a puncture in desperate need of a quick fix.
Following successive losses to the Crusaders and Chiefs, the latter in which they were stunned at the death in Hamilton last weekend, it would be easy to suggest the Blues are slipping into bad habits from the bad old days.
Yet there’s too much quality depth in Leon MacDonald’s squad, particularly the forward pack, to believe the Blues won’t respond to their concerning mid-season slump.
It’s easy to perform when you are winning. The body feels as though it bounces back quicker and the buoyant mood in camp builds seamlessly throughout the training week.
The character and culture of any team is, however, truly revealed when backs are pressed against the wall, when fingers are pointed and egos challenged.
This is where the Blues now find themselves as they prepare to welcome the Hurricanes to Eden Park on Saturday night.
A third straight loss and expectations of reaching the Super Rugby Aotearoa final will need revaluating.
This week, we will find out whether the Blues have the stomach for the fight.
When they get over the disbelief widely evident in the immediate aftermath of their loss to the Chiefs, the Blues should consider two changes to their starting side for the Hurricanes.
During the past two weeks, Tom Robinson has impressed with his energy and dynamism from the bench. It was his injection that sparked the Blues against the Chiefs — his 40m surge down the right edge for the second try reflecting the urgency missing in their performance to that point.
Too often, the Blues were beaten to the punch at the breakdown against the Chiefs. Luke Jacobson pinched two turnovers, while All Blacks captain Sam Cane and makeshift lock Samipeni Finau got in on the act, too. As much as anything else, not getting numbers over the ball is an attitude issue.
Injecting Robinson would certainly help address that problem.
Robinson never stops. He is the Blues’ electrical pulse. Unfortunate knee injuries cut him down in his prime each of the past two seasons, but now he’s back fully fit, it’s time to let him loose from the outset.
Robinson replaced Akira Ioane at blindside 51 minutes into Saturday’s defeat but he could just as easily come in for Josh Goodhue in the second row after the Blues lineout faltered against the Chiefs by losing three of their own throws.
The charismatic redhead offers a point of difference the Blues need to embrace.
With four All Blacks props and Samoan international James Lay, forwards coach Tom Coventry and scrum mentor Ben Afeaki should be able to address the perplexing troubles in this area that plagued the loss to the Chiefs.
With such quality props on rotation, getting shunted off your ball is completely unacceptable.
The costly disconnect between the coaching box and on-field leaders about whether to take the points — after turning down six kickable penalties — or chase tries should also be swiftly amended.
The midfield, though, could benefit from one change. The Chiefs duo of Quinn Tupaea and Anton LienertBrown definitively upstaged Harry Plummer and Rieko Ioane.
First-half accuracy on attack from the Blues was well off, with three passes shelled after they were delivered behind the receiver or shovelled to someone under intense pressure.
Tupaea’s breakout performance raised questions about Plummer’s defensive abilities and why TJ Faiane’s underrated presence has been largely overlooked this season.
Faiane has slipped down the pecking order in recent times, with MacDonald preferring to employ three playmakers in Otere Black, Plummer and Stephen Perofeta.
Faiane, the Auckland provincial captain, deserves a crack. His subtle kicking and passing skills offer a different dimension to the stuttering Blues attack that is failing to use the likes of Caleb Clarke.
The Blues have not yet arrived at panic stations but the edge that will engulf their Alexandra Park training base this week accurately reflects the need to fix the puncture before their campaign hits the skids.