Rugby: Blues respond to heat from coaches with victory

Blues' Jared Payne scores despite the efforts of the Hurricanes' Mark Reddish. Photo / Getty Images

The Blues deserve a serious tick for perseverance, diligence and determination to get their rugby show back on the road.

They had the acid put on them by their coaches and responded with victory on Saturday against the Hurricanes at Eden Park.

"All I can ask, I know there will be mistakes, is for the guys to go out there with some attitude and effort and that is what we got," coach Pat Lam said.

"There were a lot of areas in our game that we have still got to improve on, they are still frustrating but you can't doubt or fault their effort.

"We have got a game plan that is effective. We are pleased we got the five points and the W."

The Blues had their moments, dealing with some of their own frailties and heat from the 'Canes but they battled on, hanging tough until with Hurricanes' captain Andrew Hore in the sinbin, they piled on the winning points.

This was no great aesthetic performance but it would have seemed ultra pretty to the players and staff as they celebrated Tony Woodcock's 100th appearance for the side.

Especially after the limp draw the previous week against the Force, the trip home and limited preparation for this match.

The critical moment came when touch judge Ben Skeen spotted Hore knocking the ball from Alby Mathewson's grasp. It was a professional foul, Skeen alerted referee Vinny Munro and the Canes were a man down.

They were only three points adrift but 17 minutes from fulltime.

During Hore's 10-minute rest the Blues cracked on two converted tries and it was game over.

"It was pretty disappointing when the captain can't lead by example," he admitted. "It ripped the heart out of us.

"It was pretty hard to keep the head up in the changing room but I suppose you have to if you are leading the team."

Coach Mark Hammett said defending teams had been warned this season they would be heavily scrutinised in their 22, there were no excuses.

His side had footed it for 60 minutes but then lost a little composure and their captain. They were struggling with some details in their game.

So too the Blues, with Lam pinpointing a number of issues in their defence they needed to tighten.

They had conceded just one try but needed to work more on their speed and shortside numbers before Saturday's away game against the Chiefs.

There were times when the Blues struggled to get hold of the ball and that negated the impact players like Isaia Toeava could bring.

He had been consistent all season, he saw space and had great acceleration but those talents were stunted when his teammates did not control the ball.

Using Stephen Brett and Luke McAlister as twin pivots had helped the team's direction. Patterns of play had tightened as they saw the space and the right areas to attack.

There were some mistakes but Woodcock said the side responded to their clear calls and direction. They would need all that and more this week.

The Chiefs were gutsy in quelling the Sharks in tough conditions and the Blues would need detailed plans to get set for the trip to Hamilton.

New left wing selection Benson Stanley had withdrawn late because of a tight calf. It was a precautionary decision Lam applauded as he did not want a repeat of Ali Williams' injury against the Force.

That allowed Joe Rokocoko to make a late return from the bench though neither he nor Sherwin Stowers were much involved.

FULL TIME

* Blues: 41

* Hurricanes: 17