Blues running short of tall timber

Blues 17 Brumbies 0

The Blues are staring at a locking crisis after Greg Rawlinson became their latest casualty in the doughty victory against the champion Brumbies.

Rawlinson dislocated the patella tendon in his left knee on Saturday at Eden Park with the under-resourced Blues forced to use loose forward Nick Williams as his replacement.

Senior lock Ali Williams still has four games left on his suspension while utility Angus Macdonald could not be included in the reserves because of an inflamed Achilles tendon.

That means Bradley Mika is the only available fit lock in the squad preparing for the next assignment against the Cats at Albany on Saturday.

Coach Peter Sloane was optimistic Rawlinson might recover but he spent much of yesterday speaking to New Zealand Rugby Union officials and searching for backup for this week's practice sessions.

"Greg is not very mobile at the moment. He is pretty tender but the medical staff are hopeful he might get through," the coach said.

"There is not a lot [of replacements] left in the pool but there are a few we have inquired about to try and get to training this week."

Auckland lock Bryce Williams is still recovering from a shoulder reconstruction while there may also be concerns about the health of the Northland duo Isoa Domolailai and Brad Taylor.

Halfbacks David Gibson and Ben Meyer, midfielder Sam Tuitupou and wing Joe Rokocoko are also troubled by a range of injuries which will require medical clearances later in the week.

While the disabled list added to Sloane's worries, that was balanced by the victory his rejigged Blues was able to complete. It halted the two-match losing run against the Chiefs and Crusaders.

Sloane and assistants Joe Schmidt and David Nucifora had discarded playmaker Carlos Spencer and revamped the backline after losing three players to suspension.

"It leaves you anxious about how the changes will go, there is no question of that," Sloane conceded.

Selection switches, especially one involving such a high-profile player as Spencer, would create a greater level of inspection.

That was natural but all the new players had stepped up against the Brumbies while the senior men had answered questions about their approach.

"There are still some worries but a win was very important. The way we played was very important but we have to keep our feet on the ground. We have not had a lot of consistency and our challenge is to go out and back it up."

On Saturday the Blues played with an edge which had been missing and were helped by a flat Brumbies side.

The Brumbies played with little zest while Stephen Larkham reinjured his arm in his comeback match as Clyde Rathbone and Guy Shepherdson suffered leg injuries which may remove them until the playoffs.

Larkham had two scans yesterday which cleared him of a broken left arm but he is an unlikely starter for Friday's game against the Highlanders.

"I think it is fair to say attitude and organisation were a big part of this victory," Schmidt said.

The Blues also got a return from their remodelled team, one in which Tasesa Lavea was asked to replace Spencer.

"His brief was to give us direction and to try and play us into a position so we could launch our attacks from near their 22," said Schmidt.

For a while it was like a game of chess as the Brumbies adopted a similar strategy. They lost two tries in the opening 10 minutes to an interception from Lavea and a tackle from the impressive Isa Nacewa, and then lost their way.

The Blues remained patient, held their defensive line and gathered enough lineout possession through quick throws and the use of alternative targets such as Xavier Rush and Jerome Kaino.

It was a pressure-cooker game for Lavea who had been chosen to move up from his understudy role.

"Tasesa is not easily shaken, he is not overawed. He was excited more than nervous," Schmidt said.

The Blues pack also got excited about their work. They got to rucks ahead of their opponents to create the momentum for Daniel Braid, Kaino and Rush to get into the match.

Had Spencer been behind a pack with the same urgency and been given similar slick service by Steve Devine it was easy to imagine the impact he would have made.

But Lavea made the most of his chance in a performance which will ensure his selection this Saturday.