Rugby: Lam's Blues pay injury price to keep unbeaten run

Blues Rene Ranger cuts his way past Hosea Gear from the Highlanders during a pre season game. Photo / Greg Bowker

The Blues completed an unbeaten pre-season run against the Highlanders but were left with disconcerting injuries to champion loose forward Jerome Kaino and utility back Lachie Munro.

Kaino suffered a cut cheek which closed his left eye while Munro rolled his right ankle as the Blues held on to win 29-12 yesterday in a spirited contest held at the Blues training ground at Mt Albert.

"It is just a thumb in the eye," Kaino said after an incident which also left Daniel Braid needing stitches in his head.

The Blues scored four tries to two in a match punctuated by several lengthy downpours and some muddling work at the breakdown. The match officials seemed to be lax around much of that work, despite pre-season threats they would hammer players off their feet or offside.

For much of the match the Blues held an advantage in the setpiece and possession but were rebuffed by a strong Highlanders defensive line.

"We knew this game would be all about them at the breakdown and coming pretty hard and it's fair to say the boys dealt with that quite well. It was a good lesson for the referees because everything they did there, if they continue to do that they will be in trouble," Blues coach Pat Lam noted.

"I think that will be a classic video for the referees to be interested in because how many penalties were there - and no yellow cards? I know it is pre-season but unfortunately if they don't tidy that up ..."

The bonus for the Blues was getting captain Keven Mealamu back into work for half the game, also flanker Luke Braid who was returning from surgery while Rene Ranger, Rudi Wulf and David Raikuna showed some regular attacking threats. That attack created pressure but the Blues had also blown some chances as they had in earlier practice games with the Rebels and Hurricanes.

"We are scoring our tries and coming away not satisfied because there are four or five-plus more that we could have had," said Lam.

The cohesion in the scrum was impressive and had a Highlanders unit under heat although they have been affected by a slew of injuries to their props.

Ticks went to the opening halfback-five eighths combination of Alby Mathewson and Michael Hobbs before Piri Weepu had a run and Gareth Anscombe was used for the last half an hour. Weepu was not matchfit but his contribution would be crucial once he got back up to speed.

Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph laconically suggested the greatest thing he had to sort out was picking a team without using coaches like Kees Meeuws.

It was a bonus to get an hour from Jamie Mackintosh and Josh Bekhuis, back from injury, but he was puzzled by some of the rulings at the breakdown. "You can get emotional watching lots of penalties being given away and then you can look at it on Monday and sometimes you are proven right, sometimes wrong," he said. "We're chipping along but we have to get our team on deck."

29 Blues

Tries: A Mathewson, D Raikuna, M Hobbs, D Pryor;
Con: Hobbs, Michael Anscombe;
Pen: Hobbs.

12 Highlanders

Tries: K Baker, J Mackintosh;
Con: Lima Sopoaga.
HT: 15-7.