Impressive start as Umaga ups the ante
For too long, exasperation has followed the Blues as erratic waves moved from board level to the playing field. Patches of success were laced with puzzling failures for those charged with trying to find a stronger equilibrium across the franchise.
This year’s roster is stronger for Tana Umaga’s second coaching campaign and the draw pitched the Blues into an opening away game against the Rebels in Melbourne they were favoured to win.
Making predictions about the Blues has been a troubled journey for too long but their 56- 18 victory to start the tournament was impressive.
They dealt with a patchy opening quarter where they made the play but lost their defensive lines before an expansive try then an intercept gave them a 25- 15 lead at the break. After that they choked their opponents.
Skills, fitness, concentration — they all got strong ticks as the confidence began to work through.
At centre, Rieko Ioane stole the headlines with three tries topping his impressive all- round work, fiveeighths Ihaia West kicked goals, loose forwards Steven Luatua and Blake Gibson were too potent for their rivals and the scrum got off to a strong start.
This was a solid morale- boosting start after three months of preparation with missed tackles and lineout wobbles bringing the fix- it balance to the strong victory.
Players sent a message to Umaga and his staff that they were the troops to send out against the Chiefs in round two. They felt the pace of the game and stayed with the plans they had for Melbourne and deserve another crack at Waikato Stadium on Friday.
Umaga has plenty of fit experienced firepower in the sheds with All Blacks Jerome Kaino, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, James Parsons and Patrick Tuipulotu yet to play and others who got a mini- taste from the bench in Melbourne.
In successive weeks the Blues face a trio of imposing tasks away to the Chiefs, hosting the Highlanders and then travelling to play the Crusaders. Each will require adjustments in style and tweaks in selection while there will be the usual attrition.
Umaga has banked the experience from last season when the Blues squeaked past the Highlanders in their opening game, then lost to the Crusaders, Hurricanes and drew with the Reds. He’ll know which combinations need repeat work and where he can absorb an adjustment.
He made plenty for the start of 2017. Only five players — Melani Nanai, West, Luatua, Gibson and Sione Mafileo — who started in Melbourne were also in the Blues run on XV for their first game last year against the Highlanders.
Fullback Michael Collins and captain Jimmy Tupou are new buys, some like the Ioane brothers, Piers Francis and Gerard Cowley- Tuioti have pushed into starting roles while others have left, been discarded or are working up to fitness.
In his own way, Umaga is asking all of them if they can hack the pace.