The Hurricanes game was a good finish to a successful week in camp in Northland. During the game a lot of the systems the players had been working on over the week came off and we shot out to a 24-0 lead, but I suppose one area we’ve got to continue to improve on are the little mistakes and some lapses in concentration. We gave away some soft tries in both our pre-season games but an area we did improve on was our breakdown which wasn’t as good in the Highlanders match but we certainly stepped things up against the Hurricanes. It was good to give the All Blacks 40 minutes under their belts and we’ll be looking to give them more time this week against the Chiefs.
Part of our camp last week was in establishing the leadership group of the Blues. In our strategy group we have our captain Keven Mealamu, Ali Williams and Daniel Braid, and in the backs Stephen Brett, Isaia Toeava, Luke McAlister and Jared Payne. Then we have our defence group which focuses solely on defence and is headed by Benson Stanley, Jerome Kaino and Alby Mathewson.
All of those guys are on-field only, and in the off-field leadership group we have Kevvie as the chairman, John Afoa, Tony Woodcock, Joe Rokocoko, Anthony Boric and Brad Mika. What we did differently this year is that I asked players to apply for certain positions that were available and Tom McCartney, Chris Lowrey, Tevita Mailau and Filo Paulo all stepped forward to apply for positions and they were interviewed by the coaches, John Afoa and Keven Mealamu. The questions they were asked were ‘why do you want to be part of the group?’ and ‘what can you bring to the group if you were successful?’ and they all interviewed well so they’re now part of that group. We have portfolios where guys can choose to look after certain aspects of the team - these include a media portfolio including social media, community and team culture as well as the team schedule.
The Chiefs game this week is the ideal game to have because even during the pre-season there’s still a rivalry between the Chiefs and the Blues – it’s the local derby and they have certainly tested us in the contact area over the years so it’s an area we want to keep improving on.
The weekend off after the Hurricanes match has meant a shorter week to the Chiefs so preparation has involved shorter, more intense training sessions and we’ve named quite a strong side. While it’s not necessarily the team which will start against the Crusaders, we’re getting close to it so combinations are crucial.
There have been a number of changes to the backline throughout the pre-season, with many of the boys switching from their preferred positions to play either on the wing or in the midfield. Behind every one of those changes there’s an objective for the individual and also for the team. Even though all these players have played at the next level it’s good to mix it up a bit and see how those combinations work and that will help us as the season progresses where it’s difficult to experiment too much - it will give us an idea of what’s the best mix and the best combination depending on who we’re playing, where we’re playing and what our injury status is.
The biggest disappointment of the year so far has been the loss of lock Liaki Moli because of his shoulder injury; he’ll be having surgery soon and should make it back in time for the provincial season. The bonus is that he’s young and he’s got time on his side but he was so determined to succeed this year and was doing really well in the pre-season and it’s a big disappointment for him. But as I said to him, these are the times that actually make you stronger and he’s got Ali Williams there as a role model and a testament to that and it’s an opportunity for James King who’s been doing well in the pre-season to step up into the full squad. In an ironic twist of fate, it was James King who was called into the Wider Training Group last year but got injured, then Ali Williams was injured and Filo Paulo got the opportunity and came through to the full squad, so it just shows that through persistence, if you keep doing the hard work your opportunity could come around again so James is pretty happy to be in the squad.
This week we’ve also had a couple of niggles with halfbacks Toby Morland and Chris Smylie – it’s nothing serious but with only Alby Mathewson in there Auvasa Faleali’i will step onto the bench this week and Northland halfback Ryan Caine will be on standby with the Wider Training Group in case we need cover.
Just a heads-up that we’ve got a number of community events coming up over the weekend. We’ve got the Blues Open Day down at Okahu Bay on Sunday – the entire team will be down there to set up and run some drills that we actually do during training so it’s a chance to get a first-hand taste of the type of training drills the guys go through and get right up alongside some of your heroes. I’d encourage everyone to come on down, meet the team and get your free poster signed; it’s always a fun day not just for youngsters but for the whole family as well.
Also on Saturday some of the Blues boys will be out at the Otara Spinal Unit playing Wheelchair Rugby as part of the “Show off Day” – a one day event that includes a mouth painting exhibition, disabled sports exhibitions plus a range of service providers of disability information. The purpose is to help recently spinal injured patients have an understanding and appreciation of what can be achieved despite suffering a serious injury. Keven Mealamu, Joe Rokocoko, Jerome Kaino, Isaia Toeava and John Afoa among others will be going along so if you’re in the area be sure to stop by and check it out.
Thanks again for your continued support, it’s great to see some of the positive comments you’ve been leaving on the website and if you do have any specific questions please leave them below and I’ll try to answer them next week.
I hope to see you all down in Pukekohe tomorrow night cheering on the Blues.
