Photos: Super 14 kicks offKEY POINTS:
It was a fair old message from the Blues, an early bulletin about the dangers they offered in the Super 14.
The series had seen the favourites, the Crusaders, make an emphatic start when they swapped ruck-and-run plans for steady progress in the slosh at Christchurch. It was
time for some comparisons as the neighbouring franchises duelled at Eden Park.
There had been word from the Chiefs about having a decent crack at the Blues scrum, about getting some recognition for the forward power which had helped them to victories in their last two trips up SH1.
Instead it was the Blues scrum who dealt out the lessons, their pack who flattened the invaders while their backs showed they could cope with the speed in the Chiefs back four which is touted as the slickest in the tournament.
With their 32-14 triumph and the manner of that victory, the Blues have seriously pricked the attention of their remaining opponents.
"We are pretty rapt with the result, that game means a lot to us," beaming coach David Nucifora said before the side left for their three-game stretch in South Africa.
"Not only because it is the first game of the season but beating the Chiefs means a lot to this team. The nature of the victory and how well the team played means a lot to us."
Nucifora is a circumspect man so the spirit of his judgment said a great deal about both the apprehension and significance of the Blues' performance.
"I think you have to be basically aware that the game is still basically the same. You have to have a strong set-piece, you have to be organised with your defence and you can't go away from those things," he added in response to an inquiry about the impact of the new experimental laws.
The Blues would have put a large number of ticks alongside their work on Saturday and above the contributions of many players.
Captain Troy Flavell was in grand form again despite his layoff with a foot injury, Jerome Kaino and Nick Williams brought a crunching physical presence to the collisions while the All Black front row shunted their rivals around the track.
New Blues and old All Blacks Danny Lee and Nick Evans were spoiled for choice but very savvy with their decisions while the running power of Isa Nacewa and Joe Rokocoko in particular was overwhelming. A bonus-point four-tries-to-one success was an insistent marker while the Chiefs were left with all manner of rueful inquiries.
It was a game with its mixture of chaos and structure where players, at times, were caught between their old instincts and the law variations being trialled. Those changes and the increased tempo showed how crucial a strong bench will be in the exhaustive demands of the final quarter.
The Blues matched the Chiefs for pace and aggression early before dominating with second-half tactics based on scrum superiority and tactical kicking approach.
"We knew if we took them on physically we have more athletes in our team who can run and keep going. But until you win that physical battle against a team like the Chiefs you don't win the game, so we went out there with the aim of being more physical than them."
