Richard Loe: Rucking incident masks the real issues for the Blues

Maybe Aucklanders have a point - maybe Ali Williams has been a little hard done by with six weeks' suspension. Until rugby takes a leaf out of league's book and has a centralised disciplinary system then you will get inconsistencies. With today's technology, one body could do all the foul-play incidents and do it by video-conference. Why don't we?

Sure, Williams might have been dealt with a bit harshly. But before the World Cup in 2003, John Mitchell told the All Blacks that rucking was out. Ruck and the minimum sentence was missing a large number of games, he told the team. We couldn't afford that. He even made it public.

Nothing's changed, people. The law is still the same. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of what Richie McCaw was doing, if you take the boots to someone these days, you risk having the book thrown at you. The sentence is another issue and there - as someone familiar with the workings of the disciplinary system - I believe there is some consistency needed and a look at the whole system. League deals with it quickly and cleanly. We don't.

But all the fuss over the rucking incident has tended to mask the real issue - what the hell has happened to the Blues?

I think from CEO David White down, the Blues organisation has to have a real look at itself. For two years, they have had a side with all the talent you'd want but are not getting results. When things went wrong for Auckland in the NPC, they sacked Frank Bunce. Who are they going to sack now?

I don't think the answer is necessarily to sack anyone. No panic measures are needed. They don't need to do a Sharks and ditch the coach. But I think the whole Blues structure, from David White through the coaching staff and down to the players, need to examine themselves carefully and make sure they are all doing their job properly. If they find they are not or they find someone who isn't, then they have to make changes.

For what it's worth, I think the Blues have got the balance wrong - on and off the field. Personally, I find White a very opinionated CEO when it comes to player performance. I don't like that, I don't think it is his role. I think the Blues are too top-heavy with coaches. With David Nucifora there, they have a very high-profile technical advisor working with Peter Sloane. When Graham Henry was performing that role, things worked well but you have to wonder if Sloane feels threatened by Nucifora.

I also think the Blues have persisted in playing Luke McAlister out of position. It hasn't worked and the backline has suffered. He is not a centre. The Blues looked better with Muliaina there.

In the forwards, you'd have to say the front row and the locks have been playing well enough. Williams was doing better before the rucking incident and I think Greg Rawlinson is having a good season. But I think many of the senior players are waiting for someone else to take responsibility and not grabbing it themselves.

Carlos Spencer has been the X-factor for the Blues for a long time. He has kept the Blues in games and won matches for them for a long time. But I think he might be past his use-by date now. It might be better for the team as a whole to replace him at first-five - that's where McAlister should play or even Tasesa Lavea - so they start to function better as a team.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY