Rugby: Recycling ball vital to Blues' ambitions

Jerome Kaino (right) defends the Blues' enthusiasm but laments their high error rate. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Rucks have become a focal point for the Blues as they look to stem a two-match Super 14 losing streak tonight against the Brumbies.

That area in rugby has come in for increased debate as those of previous eras lament the lost art of rucking and the modernists are flummoxed by rules about the gate, bridging and instructions for players to stay on their feet.

The Blues have to ignore the arguments. They just have to make a much better job of dominating their possession and trying to disrupt the Brumbies at the breakdown in Canberra.

It can be done, as the Hurricanes have shown in successive weeks when they dealt to the Brumbies then the Blues in that area of the game.

Last week the Brumbies turned that around by demolishing the Reds, who in turn had the previous week damaged the Blues in that scramble for continuity and phase ball.

The Blues' ideas about ramping up their work received a late hit when blindside flanker Justin Collins was ruled out with continuing concussion, leaving a loose forward trio of Tom Chamberlain, Peter Saili and Jerome Kaino to tangle with George Smith and his henchmen.

"Winning that battle for ruck ball has a huge flow-on effect," Kaino said.

"If your rucks aren't good then your defence line is not as solid as it can be. It was a losing battle for us last week against the Hurricanes, where our runners were getting knocked back and also their guys were getting in behind our gain line."

The problems were two-fold, the result of a retooled Blues loose forward formation because of injuries and the damaging contribution of the Hurricanes pack.

It was the second straight week when the Blues had been sorted out at the breakdown.

"We can't make excuses all the time and the Hurricanes punished us for our mistakes," Kaino said. "Then we had to play catch-up rugby and that does not work.

"We could look around and blame our younger players, but it wasn't because of a lack of trying.

"They were very enthusiastic out there but we all had far too high an error rate."

The Hurricanes had made a similar mess of the Brumbies the week before and that had to be the repeat ambition tonight for the Blues.

"For us it is all about trying to keep George Smith out of the game and then trying to stop Stirling Mortlock's running game," Kaino added.

How the Blues detail a game plan to match that ambition will be intriguing.

A week ago they insisted on running the ball from every part of the Cake Tin. It was gut-busting, demanding on the Canes' defence, but came with errors, most of them early, which proved fatal.

The Brumbies are a point ahead of the Blues in the competition and a point closer to an unlikely semifinal.

If either side are to somehow qualify for the playoffs, they will need a maximum-point victory tonight. The Blues will not die wondering, as their outrageous bonus points show, but the Brumbies have not been overly adventurous this season.

When coach Pat Lam flew out with his side, it was still filled with brackets because of injury and impending fatherhood for lock Kurtis Haiu.

The plan was for some late medical checks, which they hoped would pass Rene Ranger, Anthony Tuitavake and Jay Williams fit today, while Haiu declared he would be there for Matt Goddard's opening whistle blast.

The other wishes will be for a reduction in Goddard's intrusions, a fine night in Canberra and victory.

Asking for all three might be pushing it.

BRUMBIES
A. Ashley-Cooper
Francis Fainifo
Tyrone Smith
Gene Fairbanks
Stirling Mortlock
Matt Toomua
Patrick Phibbs
Stephen Hoiles (c)
George Smith
Mitchell Chapman
Peter Kimlin
Ben Hand
Guy Shepherdson
Stephen Moore
Ben Alexander

BLUES
Rudi Wulf
Ranger/Williams
Tuitavake/Helleur
Isaia Toeava
Joe Rokocoko
Jimmy Gopperth
Chris Smylie
Jerome Kaino
Tom Chamberlain
Peter Saili
Haiu/Heijden
Jay Williams
John Afoa
K. Mealamu (c)
T Woodcock

Brumbies: Huia Edmonds, Nic Henderson, Sitaleki Timani, Henry Vanderglas, Joshua Holmes, Afusipa Taumoepeau, Alifeleti Mafi.

Blues: Tom McCartney, Charlie Faumuina, Dean Budd, Andrew van der Heijden, Grayson Hart, Jamie Helleur/Winston Stanley, Paul Williams/Dave Thomas