Blues 11
Brumbies 16
KEY POINTS:
The Blues are no longer sliding. They are now tumbling, making indecent haste in the wrong direction, both in performance and standing.
If somehow they arrive in the play-offs, they would, on current form at least, be one of the more undeserving semifinalists of recent years.
They have
been chugging along like an old tractor stuck in second gear for the past five weeks and last night they served up more of the same disjointed, error-ridden football. There was some indiscipline, too, and the Blues are now at a crossroads.
They have a bye this week and then a nasty run home where they have to tangle with the Crusaders, as well as take on the banana skins of the Highlanders and Reds away and the Hurricanes at home.
They have to make up their mind whether they are prepared to increase the risks in search of higher rewards. Last night, it was hard not to wonder where the expression had gone.
Maybe there have been times in the past where it has all gone horribly wrong but the Blues are a side who are at their best when they are left to fling it about and see what happens.
A pretty ordinary Brumbies side seemed like a great opportunity to reconnect with the high-tempo, free-flowing stuff. There was certainly some hope it was going to happen as, for the past five weeks now, the Blues have been threatening to break out of the slump they entered in Durban. A bit of tidying up here, some clinical execution there, a bit more passion, a bit of order, a wee bit of luck and someone was going to be toast. That has been the sub-text coming from the post-match analysis.
It has always been hard to disagree. Look at the individual quality and the track record this side has of being able to flick a switch and throw it all together.
But we saw nothing. There was barely a glimpse of magic. No one fancied it. And that really was the biggest fault - they were conventional, solid and rugged, qualities that make them tough to beat but not necessarily great to watch or likely to win too often.
Their set-piece work was steady enough. There was a bit of wobbly stuff at the lineout but they definitely made a bit of a mess of the Brumbies at scrum time.
So much for Tony Woodock being a 'myth', as suggested by former Wallaby prop Andrew Blades. It was a bit laughable, hearing an Aussie having a pop at a bloke who would be pretty comfortable in a World XV.
Australia has been to scrummaging what Scotland has been to haute cuisine. The Australians have produced Matt Dunning, Al Baxter and Bill Young and the Scots deep fried Mars bars, something neither nation should find a source of pride.
The 'myth' showed up rather well, getting his hands on the ball more than in recent weeks and making some hard yards. And at scrum time, he worked Guy Shepherdson over to the point where it has to be asked if the Brumbies tighthead might have recently discovered the joys of experimenting with chocolate and hot oil.
Unlike last week, lack of possession was not an issue for the Blues, more what to do with it. That's where this team has lost its way.
Something has gone missing from those early weeks. Where they were direct and slick in the early rounds, they have become lateral and hesitant.
The timing has been a bit off - runners have got a little tight on each other and the holes haven't opened up the way they once did.
And even when they have, like seven minutes into the second half last night, the clinical execution hasn't been there. A scruffy Danny Lee kick was bungled by Adam Ashley-Cooper and 10m from the Brumbies tryline, the Blues looked almost certain to score. It didn't happen, even though they had a three-man overlap.
Nick Williams went for the line himself, was well tackled and as he presented the ball, Tyrone Smith pinched it and the moment was gone. These are the failings that kill a coach. David Nucifora would have been screaming blue murder, knowing that at 13-6 down, Williams had squandered a golden opportunity.
Blues 11 (R. Wulf try; N. Evans 2 pens) Brumbies 16 (C. Lealiifano tries; S. Mortlock 2 pens, con; M. Gerard pen).
