KEY POINTS:
It wouldn't quite be accurate to talk of the cavalry coming over the hill.
But there's no doubt the Blues greeted the arrival of Joe Rokocoko and Jerome Kaino as long-lost cousins as they bolstered the Blues squad ahead of Saturday night's Super 14 game against the
Stormers in sizzling Cape Town.
At 10.30pm the temperature was still hovering around 27C.
But whether it was altitude last week in Pretoria or heat in Cape Town this weekend, Blues coach Pat Lam knows his men must deliver this Saturday.
If for no other reason, the memory of last weekend's 59-point hammering by the Bulls in Pretoria, haunts the Auckland-based squad. Lam was putting a decent face on it yesterday, saying, "You review the game and then you move on to the next one. This competition is not won on one game.
"There were still a lot of positives that came out of it [the Pretoria match]. I suppose the biggest thing was, a lot of the young boys had the opportunity to experience that. If we ever come back to altitude, we will be better for it."
Lam insists that Saturday is a whole new game, a different exercise. The Stormers have hugely disappointed their own coaching staff with an opening-round defeat by the Sharks and then a scratchy 27-24 win over the Queensland Reds, after they had led 27-5 at one stage.
Lam says: "None of the South African teams are easy to beat at home. The Stormers have quality players, like Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers, Luke Watson and Ricky Januarie. There are a lot of Springboks in that side and they are a well-balanced team.
"The South African sides punish you if you make mistakes. We knew that against the Bulls but we made errors and they scored. Hopefully, we have learned from that and can keep those mistakes down to a minimum and can impose our game."
Lam hopes that both Isaia Toeava and Tony Woodcock will pass late fitness tests this week to take their place in the starting lineup for Saturday night.
Both struggled with knocks late in the match against the Bulls, but Lam said, "Toeava trained today and Woodcock is doing light training. We are confident they should be available for selection this week."
Lam understands that his men must front up physically on Saturday night to have a chance at Newlands. "You have to bring a physical game here because all five South African teams guarantee you a physical battle. They are big boys and we have to keep up with where they are.
"The boys were pretty sore after the match with the Bulls and we are expecting pretty much the same this weekend. But it's also about taking the opportunities you are given. If it's on and the space is behind them, you must be hopeful you can get there and exploit it.
"You are after the space to attack. It's important the guys individually can get up and use their skills and back themselves when it is on. That is the thing about rugby: it is all about when it is on and being able to make the decision to take the opportunity."
Lam reflected on a tough opening schedule for the Blues - Western Force in Perth, the Bulls at altitude in Pretoria and now the Stormers in Cape Town.
"We have had two tough games and this one won't be any easier. But when we get home, we have a good run [nine of their last 10 games are in New Zealand]. So anything we can pick up on Saturday will be a great help to us.
"But overall, to do without a lot of the experienced players has been in my view, a real bonus for us."
The coming weeks of the Super 14 season should prove the veracity or otherwise of that statement.
* Peter Bills is a London-based writer for Independent News and Media.
