"We know that we could easily have won that game," said Blues No 8 Jerome Kaino. "But little errors cost us and we let them dictate a lot of things in the game. We could sit back and look at it and say it is still early days - it was the first game - but those little errors are the one thing we really want to knock on the head before we can move forward.
"We have seen in the past that we move from game to game and a lot of similar trends continue to happen. So it is really disappointing. That is what we really didn't want to happen and it happened. We are going to have to work particularly hard to kick those out of our game."
The lineout will be the area under most focus. With Keven Mealamu at hooker and Ali Williams and Anthony Boric at lock, the Blues carry the expectation of being one of the most accurate and proficient sides on the touchline, especially when Kaino and Chris Lowrey are both excellent aerial options as well.
With that level of experience and ability in the key units, it's hard to believe the lineout will continue to be a problem. The intensity of the Crusaders defence was partly responsible for seeing the Blues cough up possession and they will presumably be better equipped to deal with that now they have had some exposure to an aggressive and committed assault.
No one will want to gloss over these failings or believe they will be easily fixed, but what was intensifying Kaino's frustration was the knowledge there were enough positive aspects to have ensured the victory.
There was a strong, line-busting effort from Rene Ranger at centre and Alby Mathewson was sharp and alive to opportunity around the fringes. There was also a mostly tidy performance from Isaia Toeava at fullback and the 25-year-old remains the attacking key to this side.
If the Blues can command the touchline, protect possession and give Toeava the ball, then they can be confident about their chances. He never quite cut loose but he looked sharp, full of running and on track to find his best form once the season settles into its rhythm.
What will be particularly intriguing are the views of the new All Black coaching team. From the end of 2009, the previous All Black selectors preferred Toeava as a wing - citing his speed off the mark, his ability to stay on his feet in the tackle and raw power on the charge.
Last year, when Sir Graham Henry was in charge of the national side, there was a firm view that Toeava was a wing and Israel Dagg was definitely a fullback.
Yet in the Eden Park Super Rugby opener, these two lined up the other way round.
Dagg's most telling intrusion created the critical penalty that ended up winning the game - he timed a blast off his flank to take an inside pass from Tyler Bleyendaal and then feed Robbie Fruean. It was a welcome reminder that Dagg is a deadly threat when he's brought onto the ball and given that little bit of space he needs to fire his engine.
It also served as confirmation that, certainly at Super Rugby level, Dagg is almost wasted on the wing. He's the sort of player who needs to be heavily involved, for the ball to be more frequently in his hands.
The switch to fullback is likely to come deeper into the Crusaders' season. Coach Todd Blackadder knows the value of Dagg; understands that while the 23-year-old made some positive contributions from the wing against the Blues and has all the skills required to be effective at No 11, he can do more for the team at fullback.
"We are lucky enough that Israel can play in both positions," said Blackadder. "But he's sort of still coming back from a long term injury and we need to manage that. There is a lot more kicking required at fullback and it was when he was kicking the ball last year that he ripped his tendon almost off his hip.
"It is still a bit niggly for him so that is why we are playing him on the wing."
