Rugby: Blues picks expected to reflect Lam's ire

Pat Lam. Photo / Kenny Rodger

The Blues returned to training yesterday with the selection blade hovering over several players.

Coach Pat Lam was still grizzly about their last performance when they escaped with a late draw against the Force.

He indicated that displeasure was likely to be reflected in the team selection for Saturday's game with the Hurricanes at Eden Park.

That side will be revealed today and Lam wanted to keep the heat on his squad until then as he searched for every method to raise the side's performances.

Loose forward Daniel Braid was struggling with a sore neck while locks Ali Williams and Brad Mika were unavailable.

After their offshore expedition, the Blues have picked up an unspectacular two wins, a loss and a draw in the revamped Super 15 series although they have just one offshore trip, to Brisbane, before the end of the pool matches.

Lam wants better form and results, starting this weekend.

"While it's a fine line in the competition and every team is tough, the bottom line is we are disappointed and we should have won at the weekend.

"That's taking nothing away from the Force, that is more about ourselves.

"So this is a big game against the Hurricanes, every game is big but it starts this week. We are at home now and we have to perform to what we are capable of doing," he said.

Captain Keven Mealamu shed his mild nature to deliver some stern messages to the Blues after their fortuitous 22-all draw with the Force. There was individual and collective responsibility in the squad to step up with a consistent performance on Saturday.

Lam confirmed his dissatisfaction was likely to be reflected in today's team announcement. "That is a big possibility, that is certainly what we are going through at the moment.

"The message is everyone gets tainted with the same brush, whether it is us as coaches or the team deep down and sometimes it is just a few individuals. This is a team game and if you don't front everyone gets targeted which is not fair on some of the guys doing the work."

Much had been made of offside rulings this season but the coaches felt there was always space on the field. The problem was getting the players to identify those gaps and listening to those who noticed the gaps.

The Blues had enough possession to see off the Force but too often they took the wrong option, Lam said.

"Those sorts of decisions are crucial and what we are working on."

They had also been frustrated at some of the scrum collapses against the Force after few issues in their three other matches.

Derby games such as Saturday's Eden Park match had generated extra excitement. Matches against the Hurricanes were usually lively and they were now even on the points table.