Waratahs 17
It's time now to take the Blues seriously. They played proper rugby last night, with structure, composure, tactical kicking, support running and adventure.
It was a heady mix, far too much for the Waratahs to deal with, and there were shades of 2002 at times - the year the Crusaders
nearly scored 100 against the Australians.
Well, it was too much in the first 40 minutes when the Blues scored 31 points before falling flat in the second period.
The damage should have been more severe. The Blues had the game in the bag by halftime and, as is often the way when a team has built a giant lead, the home side lost some of their edge after the break.
Actually, they lost nearly all their edge and the way they let the Waratahs claw their way back to respectability will be a concern. Their defence softened in the second period; their scrum wobbled and their lineout was all over the place.
Still, even though they were barely keeping things at a simmer, as a token of just how outclassed the Waratahs were; how utterly defeated they felt; with 28 minutes remaining and 24 points behind, they opted to kick for goal.
If the Blues can repeat and sustain their first half form, then they are genuine contenders. At last, given this was their fourth consecutive victory, they have kicked the yo-yo bug of being wildly inconsistent.
The mental lethargy of old, when they just didn't front after a good performance, has been fixed. An injury-ravaged Waratahs were precisely the sort of side that could lull the Blues into a false sense of security; see them lapse into an overly adventurous game-plan before they had earned the right to play wide.
How the Waratahs wished that was the case. Instead they felt the full force of a side that was focused, committed to the hard yards and yet willing and expert at playing the ball out of contact and into holes.
It was in that first period when the Blues showed the kind of potential that hasn't been seen since 2003. The greasy pitch kept them mindful of the value of pick and drive, and Stephen Brett and Luke McAlister gave their best individual and collaborative performances of the season.
There is a reluctance in some quarters to take Brett seriously as a genuine test candidate. But he is in form, better form than most higher profile first five candidates and with Colin Slade now just about out of the running, Brett can't be dismissed.
He did all he could last night to break the perception he's a flake; exclusively a dry-ball player only equipped with a running game.
He had the composure and accuracy to take his time, lift his head and pump the ball into space with his boot. It wasn't flawless - the short dinky kicking was overdone - but overall it was impressive.
"I don't think you can underestimate his vision and the control he gives us," said Blues coach Pat Lam of Brett.
McAlister, too, was a menace with his boot and created two tries with expertly threaded short grubbers. The uncertainty that blighted his game last year has gone. McAlister is almost back to where he was before he left in 2007 but is less edgy, less likely to lose his cool and try to do everything on his own.
That maturity was obvious in the way he held the ball, the way he committed to his defensive chores.
With Slade busted, Aaron Cruden fading, Stephen Donald tried but not trusted and Mike Delany fair to middling, the race to live in Dan Carter's shadow could now be down to just two - McAlister and Brett.
Probably the most critical part of their performance was the example it set - with those two refraining from trying to throw the miracle ball, everyone else managed to follow suit.
This was about as patient as the Blues have ever been. It seems they have learned there is no shame in holding on to the ball and trying to make the killer blow at the next phase.
Blues 31 (J. Afoa, T. Mailau, J. Payne, R. Ranger, A. Mathewson tries; L. McAlister 3 cons), Waratahs 17 (D. Halangahu, D. Mitchell, R. Cross tries; K. Beale con). Halftime: 31-7.
