Blues coach Leon MacDonald prior to the round 9 Super Rugby match between the Chiefs and the Blues at FMG Stadium on April 13, 2019. Photo / Getty Images.
Blues coach Leon MacDonald prior to the round 9 Super Rugby match between the Chiefs and the Blues at FMG Stadium on April 13, 2019. Photo / Getty Images.
Leon MacDonald sees where this interview might be going and seizes his chance to change tack.
"The reality is we're only three games into the competition and we haven't done anything at all," MacDonald says, emphasising the culture shift at the Blues.
Not so long ago three wins in arow – seven stretching prior to lockdown – and a franchise record five victories away from home would be gladly accepted by the Blues.
For all the hype and expectation building around the Blues this season, MacDonald is well aware how quickly the mood can change; how quickly progress can be squandered if heads are allowed to inflate.
"Winning three games is really nice but it doesn't mean anything if we don't perform after the bye.
"We're not anywhere near where we want to be. There are still areas of our game that need massive improvement."
Blues coach Leon MacDonald during a Blues Super Rugby training session at Alexandra Park on May 26, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images.
It's these demands that have long-suffering Blues fans hopeful that a new dawn beckons.
Those who flocked to Eden Park in recent weeks to rekindle scenes of bygone eras have been rewarded by witnessing improvements across the board. Conditioning, game management, leadership, defence, and the forward pack have all laid the platform for the upturn in fortunes.
Trust and understanding appears to be growing each week and yet one of the most important pillars is the team's ability to remain grounded amid the groundswell of support from a city desperate to celebrate silverware.
The presence of Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter, the two mature playmakers, helps keep fingers on the pulse and deliver messaging but many of these shifts began before their arrival, with the likes of captain Patrick Tuipulotu leading the way.
Lured to the Blues from Tasman, even MacDonald needed time to grasp the glare.
"It's a different challenge definitely to what I've experienced in other places. There's a lot more media and criticisms of the team are real and the hype turns around quite quickly.
"We've got to be real around what we're doing and not get too distracted by success or failure and stay mindful of what's helped us get a few wins this year and stay true to that and not change because of what other people are saying or doing around us."
MacDonald, the 56-test All Blacks fullback, knows next week will determine exactly where his squad is at. Before then he is seeking further improvements from the backline execution, team error rate and playing as a unit not individuals, as was the case against the Highlanders last week when the Blues almost blew a 12-point lead during a sloppy second half.
Defeating the Hurricanes and Highlanders at home, and the Chiefs in Hamilton for the first time since 2011, represent significant notches on the belt for a team with recent mental demons against Kiwi opposition, but the Crusaders in Christchurch is a much tougher proposition.
Scott Robertson's men remain the pinnacle, last losing at home in 2016. MacDonald contributed to that run alongside Robertson as Crusaders assistant coach in 2017, and his return to Christchurch now brings together the two strongest teams in New Zealand rugby.
The former teammates know each other well and MacDonald knows the Crusaders intimately, having played 122 games for the leading franchise from 1997-2009, but he denies those intriguing elements make the rivalry personal.
"I thought it would be but it's not. If we go down there and play really well in all the areas we concentrate on that would be a great thrill but it's not personal between me and the Crusaders at all. The Crusaders haven't been beaten in Christchurch for 30-odd games so it would be a helluva achievement but it was a great achievement to beat the Chiefs away so they all mean plenty for us."
Blues coach Leon MacDonald prior to the round 9 Super Rugby match between the Chiefs and the Blues at FMG Stadium on April 13, 2019. Photo / Getty Images.
There's a sense the Blues are well placed for this tilt at the Crusaders, who have lost key forwards Scott Barrett and Cullen Grace to injury.
Powerhouse Blues prop Karl Tu'inukuafe is expected to return from a hamstring injury after playing for Takapuna this weekend and other than impressive blindside Tom Robinson, who had knee surgery, MacDonald has a fully fit squad.
With four matches – three away from home – to confront before their next bye, MacDonald is comfortable keeping his foot on the hype brake. It will, however, be a much more difficult task if his side remains unbeaten next week.
"This will really test our depth and mental toughness. It is relentless. The players really like that - I know the coaching group do too. It's really motivating knowing you've got to get the week right and if you're slightly off it's tough.
"It does prepare the players – a couple of them have found out the hard way through not getting it right. I think it's good for New Zealand rugby. A competition like this is going to make the All Blacks strong and give them plenty of options of guys who are proven to play at a high level."
