Wynne Gray: Blues consistent only in errors

The promised Blues resurgence in the final Super 12 season has quickly become clouded after the latest indifferent performance against the Chiefs.

Complications continued with both tighthead props Taufa'ao Filise and John Afoa declared damaged goods for Saturday's match against the Crusaders, the most powerful New Zealand side in the series.

Filise is out for six weeks with a calf injury, Afoa has a badly corked thigh and there are makeshift plans to use regular loosehead prop Tony Woodcock on the other side of the scrum.

While that drama is bad enough after the 9-18 loss to the Chiefs, the persistent high error rate mocks the Blues' pre-season statements about their maturing standards.

The only dependable part of the Blues' work has been their constant mistakes, their fragile methods and decisions.

By their own count they turned the ball over 31 times against the Chiefs, their starter moves failed to get them over the advantage line, they were either impatient, made basic errors, dumb decisions or fruitless individual forays.

Tot up the more visible examples, and the Blues' bungling is ugly-rugby.

How else do you describe Mils Muliaina's ludicrous quick throw-in which cost an intercept, David Gibson's pass to Keven Mealamu on the touchline instead of to a full backline in openfield, no one to support Luke McAlister's bust or Xavier Rush dropping the ball cold at the base of the scrum?

It was more of the dross served up against the Reds, repeat offences even though the Blues had been given a year's warning about the threat to expect from the Chiefs.

If we are to believe that much of this year's coaching is being done by imports David Nucifora and Joe Schmidt, what has their introduction achieved? Not a heck of a lot.

The forwards, under Nucifora's tutelage, have been serviceable in the tight phases and were robbed of scrum superiority by injury leading to uncontested scrums against the Chiefs.

But the work in contact and at the breakdown has either been sloppy or slow, allowing defences to realign against the Blues backline.

That should not absolve the backs, though. They have been stilted for much of this season and while Steve Devine and Carlos Spencer were exempt against the Chiefs, the rest were out of sorts.

The selectors have persisted with the Sam Tuitupou-McAlister alliance in midfield when both seem best suited to second five-eighths.

For some reason the coaching staff think Ben Atiga's return from injury will assist at centre but the lack of confidence is spreading fast, the creeping uncertainty has already engulfed the back three.

Joe Rokocoko is doing his circus tricks before he hits the line, Doug Howlett resembled a sprinter testing his hamstring rather than his rugby ability while Muliaina's concentration was elsewhere.

It was only the first loss of the season for the Blues. But it was the manner of that defeat in Hamilton which provoke the worry beads.

After the undistinguished work against the Reds, it was a shabby followup.

It was not a performance from a mature side. And for a team struggling to discover any rhythm, meeting the in-form Crusaders may not be the best rescue package.