Rugby: Friday looks all good for the Blues

Blues coach Pat Lam. Photo / Kenny Rodger

The Blues can hear the noises about Good Friday.

The gist is they have only to turn up at North Harbour Stadium to collect a bonus-point victory against the first-year Rebels franchise.

It is flattering and demeaning, probably true and not the best preparation for the Blues. However, coach Pat Lam accepted the assessment and said the Blues had to rise above any verbal sideshows for their next Super 15 match.

"They have been a banana skin for a few teams and it is going to be tough for us that they lost badly last game," Lam said.

"But the focus is on what we bring to the table and if we do that, I am confident if you line up our starting XV against theirs, if we bring our attitude we should be successful."

There are a few hurdles before Lam can name his side tomorrow. His locking resources are stretched with Kurtis Haiu the latest casualty and Ali Williams needing to survive a full session to be selected.

Loosehead prop Tony Woodcock is fit again but about half a dozen others have niggles which need to be assessed. They include Alby Mathewson, Luke McAlister and Jerome Kaino.

Lam said the Blues had made strong gains this season dealing with each match, concentrating on their next tasks, rather than those on the horizon. That pattern needed to continue but they were heartened by their results with a solitary loss and a draw in their eight matches.

The Rebels had good-quality players among their squad and had shown their calibre by beating the Brumbies, Hurricanes and Force. If the Blues were not on their game on Friday then they would struggle.

"Everyone is going to say the Blues should beat them and for us that is something we have been addressing this year and it is going quite well at the moment," Lam said.

The Rebels have a strong leader in No 8 Gareth Delve and former All Black prop Greg Somerville leads a tight five which has some substance but not great ball players.

Outcast English five-eighths Danny Cipriani has a strong kicking game and Lam noted his side would have to pressure him and his outsides as they did with Kurtley Beale and the Waratahs at Eden Park last Saturday.

The Blues were encouraged by fine forecasts later in the week and the shape of their first half against the Waratahs. They spent plenty of time yesterday, though, analysing why they were bent out of shape after halftime, why they lost their rhythm and on the solutions.