News

Blues braced for Crusaders' backlash

April 24 2008

The Blues are bracing from a backlash from Super 14 rugby leaders the Crusaders, whose unbeaten record came to an abrupt end last weekend against the Chiefs.

Although the gap the Blues have over their nearest rivals is still a sizeable six points, coach David Nucifora said - from the Aucklanders' point of view - that the result in Hamilton had its plusses and minuses.

It meant the Chiefs jumped two places above the Blues into fifth spot, but the manner of their performance - including a strong defensive effort, especially around the fringes - had been useful for game-plan purposes.

"It wasn't great for us for them to get the points, but they exposed some things in the Crusaders as well, which I thought they did very well," Nucifora told NZPA.

"But obviously the Crusaders will have their eyes back on the ball this week."

It seems a long time ago since the Blues, with their electric start to the season, topped the Super 14 table.

That was after Round Three following their victory over the Cheetahs and their third successive bonus-point win.

Since then, their campaign has come unstuck and they have slid to seventh place on the back of four defeats and just two victories.

After last weekend's bye, Nucifora has responded by making two personnel changes in his starting XV, dropping All Black centre Isaia Toeava and regular scrum-half Danny Lee to the bench.

Winger David Smith comes into a reshuffled backline, while Taniela Moa replaces Lee.

The changes are aimed at adding spark to the attack, with Nucifora believing the Blues were not far off producing their best again.

"There are no poor teams in this competition and you have a very slim margin for error," he said.

"If you're only a few per cent off your best, you're going to be beaten and that's where we've been."

Blues fly-half Nick Evans echoed his coaches' sentiments saying small errors across the board had been the men in blue's undoing in recent weeks.

"It hasn't been individuals, it's been across the board, guys making little mistakes at the wrong time," said Evans.

"It's up to everybody to knuckle down and play the game like we know we can."

Evans, who was in superb touch during the Blues' winning start to the season, said he was looking to insert himself more in proceedings.

"Teams have come up with a strategy to beat us, like the rushing line and coming up fast on us," he said.

"It's up to me and the guys outside to take a bit extra depth and use the forwards around us a bit better than we've been doing."

The Blues were aware of the task in front of them, Evans said, because the Crusaders always rebounded well after a loss.

However, the Chiefs had offer some helpful pointers on how to trip up the competition leaders.

"Their loosies played well and they bullied them and beat them up," he said.

"That's something we've going to have to take with us."