Rugby: Luckless Blues sunk by Chiefs

Tom Marshall of the Chiefs breaks the tackle of Jamison Gibson-Park of the Blues during the round eight Super Rugby match between the Chiefs and the Blues. Photo / Getty Images.

Chiefs 23
Blues 16

It's become a painful business watching the season play out for the Blues. It's not purely their lack of cohesion and continuity - more the predictability and nature of the outcome.

Once again the game followed a well worn path last night. The Blues didn't lack for effort or desire. They stuck at their knitting for the full 80 minutes. But for all that they appeared to be in the contest - competing valiantly in most aspects - they never convinced as likely winners.

First Take: Blues' lack of conviction has paralysed progress

Even when they appeared to have the momentum in the second half, didn't everyone know the Chiefs would somehow hold on and then find a way to land the killer blow?

It couldn't have been a surprise to anyone that after 67 minutes, Tom Marshall squeezed through a despairing tackle to dot down under the sticks and consign the Blues to yet another defeat.

That's how it is with the Blues at the moment - they have no luck; no way of grinding, grafting, scrambling and at the end of it, concocting a victory. They have enough heart and presence to get close, but not enough to actually win.

Maybe that's a direct result of losing their first six. Fall into a rut like that and there's virtually no expectation that it will ever stop.

There's more to it than that, though. The Blues didn't have sustainable attacking weapons. There was the odd attacking flourish to set Frank Halai free on the right wing and every now and again the forwards would pick and go to good effect.

Even when Patrick Tuipulotu came off the bench and made an immediate and significant difference, it didn't feel like the Blues had quite enough to get the job done.

Tuipulotu, benched for throwing a few 50:50 balls the week before, was clearly repenting for his sins and brought a huge physical presence. The set-piece improved out of sight when he came and it was noted that Jerome Kaino scored from a drive from the base on the first scrum Tuipulotu packed.

That was all the Blues really had, though - a bit of rough and tumble. It was never enough to raise the hopes that they were going to find a way to gather the points they would need.

Rugby at this level requires teams to build sustained pressure. It requires teams to capitalise on half breaks and to do that, there has to be depth to the players' understanding of the gameplan.

This is where the Blues trail the other New Zealand teams. This is where they were obviously behind the Chiefs - they didn't have the speed of thought or movement to crank the handle when they made a little headway.

The Chiefs will feel they were miles from the best. Their ball retention was poor. They kicked too much, dropped too much ball and too easily lost their shape at times.

But when it mattered, they scored the points. When they had to find a way over the line - they did it.

It's academic whether it's the fault of the players or the coaching staff at the Blues - they won't win games if players such as Pita Ahki ignore a three-man overlap to plough into contact.

They can't win if they play George Moala - a bruising runner but almost devoid of vision and distribution - at second-five

There also has to be a bit of polish applied to the execution of the basic skills. Being in the right place and doing the right things ... that's half the battle. Throwing a good pass ... that's the other half and the Blues - en masse - aren't getting that slickness they need.

Chiefs 23 (J. Lowe, T. Marshall tries; A. Cruden 2 cons, 3 pens)
Blues 16 (J. Kaino tries; D. Bowden con, 2 pens; I. West pen)