Blues 38
Western Force 17
In this do or die phase, the Blues kept themselves in the frame for one more week with a functional effort against a side that has been a banana skin in the past.
What the Blues wanted was a win, a bonus point and a clean bill of health. They
managed the trifecta and played well enough to restore the confidence which was battered by the Stormers last week.
They had the job done early in the second half when Joe Rokocoko screamed over for his hat-trick. With the bonus point and win in the bag, coach Pat Lam could empty the bench and keep vital powder dry for the tour of South Africa which begins next Sunday against the Sharks in Durban.
It's probably just as well the Blues didn't need their A-game for the full 80 minutes. While they were in control - they had the Force under pressure in the scrum and their speed to the breakdown saw their opponents frequently pinged for trying to seal the ball off - they didn't quite have the rhythm and flow of previous weeks.
Stephen Brett toned things down and played more for territory than he has all season and the counter-attacking of the back three never broke the Force open.
The slick interchanges were absent; as was the sharp handling. The passing, the running, the timing - it was a touch laboured.
Still, the Blues did what they had to do and scored six tries. If they can look a little rusty; a little flat; as if they are going through the motions with one eye on the next three weeks, things can't be that bad for them.
The Force are hardly heavyweights but they arrived at Eden Park on the back of a good win against the Highlanders and with players capable of causing an upset.
Defensively they held their shape and discipline - although they lacked aggression - and the Blues had to work hard enough to beat them.
There was some craft and guile as well as composure in the way the Blues worked themselves into space o score their points.
Tony Woodcock will no doubt argue that his try was the pick of the bunch when he took an inside pass from fellow prop John Afoa and barrelled over from 10 metres, but it was the finishing of Rokocoko that was the highlight of the evening.
The big wing has rediscovered his attacking thrust and is running with confidence. He might even be a yard quicker than he was last year but, as well as he finished, he still didn't look assured under the high ball.
He'll relish the firm grounds of South Africa and probably wouldn't mind being peppered with some high bombs in Durban to have one last chance to show the All Black selectors he can handle kick and catch rugby.
The Blues will need Rokocoko and their other senior players to be at their very best in Durban. It looms now as the defining game of their season. A win against the Sharks and the Blues will be genuine contenders. The Cheetahs and Lions follow before they return to Eden Park to take on the Chiefs who will be playing for nothing more than pride.
Lam said former Blues player Eroni Clarke had been talking to the team during the week, drawing parallels between the current campaign and 1996 when the Blues travelled to South Africa in the closing weeks and had to dig out brave wins on the road to stay alive.
"This year has got that same feel about it," said Lam.
They will have to make the trip without Anthony Boric whose ankle ligaments have not healed well enough to travel. Further disruption could come if the respective partners of Luke McAlister and Rudi Wulf give birth before their due dates.
But the Blues know what is at stake and that they can't offer any excuses. "Everyone knows they have to take responsibility," said Lam.
Blues 38 (J. Rokocoko (3), T. Woodcock, A. Mathewson, R. Wulf tries; L. McAlister 4 cons); Western Force 17 (D. Pocock, penalty tries; J. O'Connor pen, 2 cons).
