Super rugby results from week eight, The Warriors get the job done against the Titans and we chat with Hamish Bond and Mahe Drysdale who are pushing their case to make the New Zealand rowing eight go
Blues hooker James Parsons considered deals in England, France and Japan, but has decided to remain at home to help bring respect back to a franchise he says has been a punchline for cruel jokes for far too long.
Parsons, 32, is one of six players who have extended their contracts at the Blues until the end of 2021 at least. The others are TJ Faiane, Sione Mafileo, Otere Black, Tom Robinson and Stephen Perofeta. Another, Caleb Clarke, has re-signed until 2022.
Parsons, who has played two tests for the All Blacks, is easily the oldest of the seven but while he may have been tempted by lucrative off-shore contracts, the lure of success at both the Blues and Harbour is stronger.
While the franchise started with back-to-back championships in 1996-97, they last won a title in 2003. They last made the playoffs in 2011. Since then they have become the definition of under-achievement, and while they have shown far more steel over the past five weeks in racking up four consecutive wins, Parsons is adamant they have achieved nothing worth celebrating yet.
In an interview with the Herald, he said bringing respect back to the Blues was the first step in the journey to that longed-for success.
The playing group have always had it and so have opposition teams, who have always been wary about the often poorly aimed firepower at the franchise, but that hasn't always applied to the public, and it's that attitude Parsons wants to change.
After four victories at home, all which featured a variety of tense finishes, the next box to tick is a win on the road against a New Zealand team – starting with a victory against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday, a feat they must achieve without Sonny Bill Williams and Blake Gibson due to knee injuries.
Blues hooker James Parsons. Photo / Photosport
"We're the butt of most people's jokes," Parsons said. "But we can't play on emotion, we have to make good, clinical decisions and that starts from Sunday through to Friday and on to game day. We can't be weighed down by history because this is a new group and we're in charge of our own narrative."
The eloquent former skipper at the Blues often stated after defeats over the past couple of years that his side weren't far away from clicking.
And, in a funny way, that still applies. The Blues are doing plenty right now in extending their streak for four wins but they're doing plenty wrong still and, after going 17-0 up against the Waratahs at Eden Park last weekend, they should have shut the door on the Sydneysiders.
"A lot of our losses in the past have been within seven or three or four points," Parsons said. "We just didn't have that edge or ruthlessness on the basics to finish games off. That's slowly building. It's not perfect at the moment and we haven't achieved anything worth celebrating. We're building a foundation … and that's the most exciting thing.
"The areas of growth are – we're up 17 points and we don't put a team away. That's our next step. The great teams, the teams that win titles, do put opposition teams away. To still get the win under immense pressure, the boys rolling their sleeves up in the last three minutes, that shows the mettle we've got now and it's about fine tuning it.
"The biggest thing our coaches say is to be ruthless on the basics the whole time. Our natural Blues game will unfold once we've done the hard work."
Parsons, who made his Super Rugby debut in 2011, is clearly enjoying life under forwards coach Tom Coventry, his mentor at Harbour over the past couple of years. "There's no secret that my game has improved under him at Harbour and my game has improved under him here," he said.
Another big influence was Keven Mealamu, the man he replaced in the No2 jersey and a man who left a lasting impression. "I set a goal when I made this team. Kevvy was my mentor and he always said he wanted to leave the jersey in a better place than he found it. It's no different for me. I'm just motivated by success and I haven't achieved what I want to achieve yet."
