NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

Gregor Paul: The two reasons Blues fortunes have turned around

Gregor Paul
By Gregor Paul
Rugby analyst·NZ Herald·
10 Mar, 2020 01:47 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu leads his team onto the field during the Hurricanes vs Blues Super Rugby match. Photo / Photosport

Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu leads his team onto the field during the Hurricanes vs Blues Super Rugby match. Photo / Photosport

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen used to fear that junior rugby didn't do enough to reward work ethic.

He'd often say too much high impact traffic made it onto the elite pathway – that the people picking age-grade teams were too easily seduced by the biggest, fastest and most powerful athletes.

Hansen, who spent 16 years with the All Blacks between 2004 and 2019, wanted the talent identification template to recognise that the less-gifted player who was still running and tackling his heart out 80 minutes into the contest may in fact be the one to back ahead of those who were masters at the art of impressive, sporadic cameos.

READ MORE:
• Premium - Gregor Paul: The blatant money grab which has left New Zealand rugby in crisis
• Premium - Gregor Paul: The underlying irony of New Zealand Rugby's problems
• Gregor Paul: New Zealand Rugby set to post multi-million-dollar loss, announce radical changes following McKinsey review
• Premium - Gregor Paul: New Zealand Rugby's latest blunder in search for ways to revive the game

Whenever his argument was rebuffed, he'd play his trump card, pointing out that the greatest All Black in history was 90 per cent work ethic, 10 per cent natural ability.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Richie McCaw was never a star in schoolboy rugby. He was noticed, but only after a lot of other players had been noticed before him.

Hurricanes Ben Lam (centre) is tackled by Blues Akira Ioane (left) and Rieko Ioane during the Hurricanes vs Blues Super Rugby match at Sky Stadium in Wellington. Photo / Photosport
Hurricanes Ben Lam (centre) is tackled by Blues Akira Ioane (left) and Rieko Ioane during the Hurricanes vs Blues Super Rugby match at Sky Stadium in Wellington. Photo / Photosport

He didn't have the ability to overtly impact the game at that age and would most likely have battled on the edges of the provincial scene as a young adult had it not been for the fact Hansen, coach of Canterbury at the time, saw McCaw in one of his last First XV games and decided there and then that he had to offer him a contract.

As Hansen would say 17 years later when McCaw was retiring after winning 148 test caps and captaining the All Blacks to two World Cups: "He arrived on the scene as a pimply faced schoolboy who was raw but keen to learn. He leaves with less pimples but still with a desire to learn.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I'll tell you this: he had a certain skill but he couldn't catch, couldn't pass, and couldn't run."

Throughout McCaw's career, he produced compelling evidence to support the value of work ethic, yet strangely while four of the country's Super Rugby teams could make that connection, the Blues never could.

Discover more

Super Rugby

Dylan Cleaver: Rugby's dumbest rule needs to be scrapped

09 Mar 06:00 AM
All Blacks

All Blacks Sevens claim Vancouver title after thrilling final

09 Mar 03:00 AM
Sport|rugby

Entire Japan rugby league suspended after Kiwi's reported arrest

09 Mar 05:00 PM
Sport|rugby

Beauden Barrett wants to face Hurricanes in Blues debut

09 Mar 11:48 PM

For whatever reason, the Blues spent the McCaw era investing in athletes who were all about the incredible and sometimes the impossible, but only ever in five-minute spells.

Work ethic was never high on the selection agenda and the honest battler never showed up in their ranks.

Until now and the Blues find themselves in the unusual but welcome place of being well inside the play-off zone in mid-March, because they are picking players with a work ethic.

Stephen Perofeta of the Blues breaks out of tackle during the round-six Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and the Blues. Photo / Photosport
Stephen Perofeta of the Blues breaks out of tackle during the round-six Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and the Blues. Photo / Photosport

Their turnaround in fortune this year is being driven by two distinct elements related to work ethic: the first is that it has suddenly been instilled in a few high-impact players.

Patrick Tuipulotu is fitter and leaner than he's ever been and as a result, he's become significantly more influential. That can be seen in the way he'll carry into contact, scramble to his feet and be ready to do it again just one ruck later.

It's the same when he doesn't have the ball and as much as opposition feel the impact of this increased effort, so too do his team-mates see it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hoskins Sotutu was barely sighted last year, but he turned up at pre-season in great shape, won the No 8 jersey and has impressed not just with athleticism, but with his desire to stay in the contest and play on his feet.

Karl Tu'inukuafe is another who is getting more out of himself. When he was everyone's favourite prop in 2018, starting regularly for the All Blacks having begun the season without a Super Rugby contract, the romance of his story hid the fact that he was trundling around the park until scrum time.

Not now. This season he's been pro-active in general play. Hungry, eager and determined to be more than a good scrummager.

Maybe the biggest difference at the Blues this year, though, has come with the selection of the likes of Tony Lambourn and Aaron Carroll.

These two are honest-to-goodness workhorses. They are the sorts of players that the Blues would never have picked a few years ago and yet both are proving high value.

They bring energy and commitment. They stick their head in places that matter and they throw themselves into battle with little consideration for themselves, only thinking about their duty to the team.

What's really happened with the Blues is that they don't wilt or implode in the big moments of big games, because now they have players who are working for real, producing 10 lower-profile but significant acts instead of players strolling around, looking to produce one high-impact act.

Work ethic is finally being recognised and the Blues are being rewarded for it.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from All Blacks

Premium
All Blacks

How Savea's position shapes the All Blacks' loose forward strategy

01 Jul 08:01 AM
All Blacks

Discussing the likely All Blacks team to play France in Dunedin

All Blacks

'The Lord's team': Savea hopes Moana Pasifika survives financial struggles

01 Jul 02:45 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from All Blacks

Premium
How Savea's position shapes the All Blacks' loose forward strategy

How Savea's position shapes the All Blacks' loose forward strategy

01 Jul 08:01 AM

Three rookies are poised to debut as All Blacks ponder a reshuffle for first French test.

Discussing the likely All Blacks team to play France in Dunedin

Discussing the likely All Blacks team to play France in Dunedin

'The Lord's team': Savea hopes Moana Pasifika survives financial struggles

'The Lord's team': Savea hopes Moana Pasifika survives financial struggles

01 Jul 02:45 AM
French injury worries mount ahead of first test

French injury worries mount ahead of first test

30 Jun 08:35 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP