Rugby: Blues to focus on penalty count

Blues coach Pat Lam was disappointed with the way his side reacted under pressure. Photo Getty Images

One statistic stared back alarmingly at the Blues coaching staff, a beacon of disappointment about their opening Super 14 defeat.

Staff and players did not need highlighter pens yesterday to emphasise the penalty blemishes as they regrouped to dissect all the information about Friday's 34-20 loss to the Hurricanes on the competition's opening night.

It was clear what the players must focus upon in the week leading up to this Friday night's visit to Dunedin to face the Highlanders: the breakdown.

"The frustration we had after the game is still there, but we know we do not have to go back to the drawing board," said Lam, as he looked ahead.

"We need to tidy up our work at the breakdown, get it sorted, because I was really impressed with the physicality, the contact and the workrate from our blokes in the rest of the game."

The Blues' problems at the breakdown were reflected in the number of kickable penalties they conceded.

"There were 13 penalties against us but 10 of them were in our own half. They kicked nine of those and that just hammers you," coach Pat Lam said. "The more we started giving away penalties, the more our anxiety levels grew.

"Our confidence as a group waned as we conceded more penalties and then we started to make rash decisions and that is the biggest thing we will be working on this week."

Lam yesterday had no complaints about the rulings from referee Stu Dickinson. Teams had been warned they would be scrutinised heavily at the breakdown and the Blues simply had to improve.

The galling evidence was that the Blues had outscored the Hurricanes two tries to one, but had coughed up a lorryload of penalties which Willie Ripia and Piri Weepu goaled.

"It was just little things which put us under pressure - mainly losing the ball, playing in our own half and penalties."

Plans for the match had been fine, but the execution of that strategy had fallen away.

Even after Hosea Gear's converted intercept try, the Blues were still well in the match. They were only a couple of points behind but started playing like there was only two minutes left.

"Those are the sort of experiences we have to tidy up," Lam said.

His side had offered a split personality performance at North Harbour Stadium. A repeat at Carisbrook on Friday would be equally fatal.

"The Highlanders have a good, efficient forward pack who never say die," Lam said. "They have the influence of Jimmy Cowan and it will be a tough workout down there and that is why we have to make sure we don't make it harder for ourselves with our mistakes."

Lam will reveal his side on Wednesday, but indicated he was unlikely to go outside the XV and reserves who were used at Albany.

Others who have been on the injured list, like Luke McAlister, Anthony Tuitavake, Chris Lowrey and perhaps George Pisi would resume with a game for the development squad this week.

This week, the Blues would work on being more instinctive, getting more comfortable with their gameplans and concentrating on their timing at the breakdown.

"The thing is we looked like two different teams," Lam agreed. "What it highlighted to us was that, particularly, the decisions we made to get out of our half and even the way we countered, put the team under pressure.

"Our defence was superb, but the problem was that in defending a great deal, you are more likely to offend.

"A couple of things came out of that. We lost the territory battle and we lost some scraps for ball on the ground, which put us under pressure and then we gave away a lot of penalties."

This week would be about getting more variety into the Blues work, knowing when to do what, understanding when to kick and when to run. Lam said his players had to learn how to apply more pressure.

"Under the blowtorch we have to deliver variety in our game and do what we train."