KEY POINTS:
Hooker Keven Mealamu is preaching the virtue of patience as the Blues strive to get their Super 14 rugby campaign back on track tomorrow.
After opening the season with three impressive, bonus-point victories, the Blues have found their momentum stalled over the past fortnight.
Defeat to the unbeaten
Sharks in Durban was followed by last Saturday's upset loss to Western Force at North Harbour Stadium, where they let slip a 17-7 halftime lead to go down 17-27.
Mealamu said the Blues remained confident with their gameplan, but needed to sharpen their execution when they face the Stormers here at Eden Park.
"It's just the little things, the little details that have let us down," he said.
"I know our systems are still working and we're still making plenty of line breaks. It's just finishing them off."
One of the features of the Blues' performances during their hat-trick of victories was their ability to capitalise on the experimental laws to score tries from set pieces.
Mealamu said opposition teams had begun getting used to the rule changes and had also had more time to do their homework on the Blues.
"In the early games we had a lot of tries coming from first or second phase and we've been tested over the last couple of weeks," he said.
"For us, it's going to be about a little more patience. It might not come off in the first phase, but if we continue to work hard for it, it will definitely come off."
The Blues were still looking to play an up-tempo style, he said.
It was merely a case of not trying to force passes.
Coach David Nucifora has made five changes to his starting 15, which features the return of last year's 2007 New Zealand player of the year, flanker Daniel Braid, from off-season shoulder surgery.
Other inclusions are fullback George Pisi, winger Rudi Wulf, lock Kurtis Haiu and loosehead prop Nick White, who are all elevated from the bench.
The selection of Wulf and White means All Blacks Joe Rokocoko and Tony Woodcock will begin the match among the reserves.
First five-eighth Nick Evans, who had been in doubt because of a head knock he suffered in the match against the Force, has been passed fit.
The Stormers arrived in Auckland with two consecutive away victories under their belt - over the Reds in Brisbane and the Chiefs in Hamilton - their first successes of the season.
Mealamu said the Blues were expecting the Cape Town-based side, with their more expansive style, to present a different type of threat to other South African opponents.
"They play a little wider and they can use the ball quite well through the hands as well," he said.
"They pose a different type of challenge from what we are used to from the African sides. You have to prepare differently for them and make sure every player does his job well."
- NZPA
