KEY POINTS:
Earle Kirton would have nodded approvingly as beaten Reds coach Eddie Jones assessed the Blues prospects of challenging for the Super 14 title.
After a week of distractions ended in a gloomy defeat at Eden Park, Jones still had the ability to cut through the mist to classify
the threat from the Blues.
"You need to have genuine gas because defences, apart from ours in the second half, are pretty good, and you need genuine gas and they [Blues] have got that and they are able to finish off breaks," he said.
During his lengthy coaching and selecting career, Kirton used to be in raptures about players who had gas, who could turn on the turbo to outgun their opponents.
The Blues are blessed with a collection of those speedsters who are also ball-playing athletes.
The envy in Jones' voice was evident as he admitted his side was "outpointed in every part of the game" by a Blues side who knew how to attack and were a pleasure to watch. At this early stage of the Super 14, with the protected All Blacks still a month away from playing, the Blues, Sharks and Hurricanes looked the strongest sides.
It took time for the Blues to settle, to assert themselves against a muscular but limited Reds. Skipper Troy Flavell was not too impressed with his side's structure in the opening quarter though he savoured the response for the rest of the match. Once they tightened their discipline, the control improved and they shut out any chance of a Reds upset.
The Blues' expansive ideas delivered a bonus point from four tries, even if two of the touchdowns included dodgy elements, and sent them into the series lead after the weekend.
It seems the coaching staff have plugged into the Blues mentality more this season, giving them more licence while still demanding the core duties they harped on about last year. The balance is starting to evolve.
Coach David Nucifora said his side had an attacking attitude. They did not want to rely on turnovers or low-risk percentage plays to eke out results.
"The attitude is showing through. We want to play the game this year," Nucifora said.
"Being the initiators comes with an element of risk and a lot of teams that are being quite negative and dour are being rewarded at times. So for us to be the ones that play the game, it does come with risk but we are prepared to accept that."
Vindication was easy, watching the way Luke McAlister and Isaia Toeava carved up the midfield or Flavell crunched through his core work and then ranged about in the loose play.
There were glitches. The scrum was shaky early on, the lineout never really settled and there appears to be a lack of driving grunt from the backrow, while left wing Anthony Tuitavake tore his right hamstring.
But this was a game when the range of attacking threats from the Blues dominated the landscape. Sometimes, as assistant coach Joe Schmidt said, they were impatient but their intent could not be faulted. There was an improved link between the backs and forwards, there was a variety, vision and clout the Reds could not match.
Ben Atiga stepped back into the limelight, replacement wing Rudi Wulf nabbed two tries and seasoned flanker Justin Collins demanded a greater work rate and formation from the pack.
"We need that [structure] if we are going to be a championship-winning team," Flavell said.
Those foundations will get a tougher examination on Friday at Eden Park from the Highlanders, a side who put great emphasis on their setpieces and discipline. Nucifora suggested there were thoughts of rotating some players but he will also be mindful about keeping a winning combination together.
