KEY POINTS:
The Super 14 guessing game continues for the Blues.
After a frenetic, skittish opening trial game under the experimental laws, the Blues found a much more structured version of the sport in a pre-season hit-out against the Reds - contrasting styles which have them bemused about what to
expect from Friday's last pre-series trial against the Highlanders.
"It is not a concern, I suppose it is just the whole teething period until everyone gets their head around it, to be honest," Blues coach David Nucifora said about the disparity.
"We have got to keep being adaptable I suppose. It is a bit of a moving target for us at the moment and how we are preparing so things realistically will be like that for a few weeks."
Free kicks and freewheeling dominated the Blues trial against a regional side but in Brisbane they were forced to contend with a great deal of kicking, lineouts and competition at the breakdowns.
Both sides used penalties to kick for touch and subsequent lineouts, a tactic which made the second trial game far more controlled than the Blues' initial practice match in Auckland.
Nucifora guessed the change could in part be sheeted home to the referees' interpretations of the law changes which are being trialled in the Super 14 this season.
"I'm not sure what we are going to see in the next game now, there is a little bit of guessing to be done in that respect," the coach added.
Referees' controller Colin Hawke admitted match officials would penalise rather than advise players under the rule changes. Instead of dishing out warnings for offences at the breakdown they would award free kicks.
Hawke and others from the New Zealand Rugby Union have been delivering briefings on the ELVs which will be used in the Super 14 then will be set aside for the remainder of the season while the International Rugby Board debates their merit.
The major changes require backlines to be 5m behind the scrum, involve an offside line across the field and have free kicks awarded for all offences except offside, incorrect entry to the breakdown and foul play.
Teams awarded free kicks could opt to set a scrum instead.
Nucifora said that would depend on the pace of matches, sides' fitness and the quality of their setpiece. A strong scrum would be a great attacking platform under the experimental laws while free kicks were also extremely hard to defend.
The Blues coach commended the plan to reduce instructions from referees during games, to keep the game moving.
"I see nothing wrong with that, it is a positive for the game. We don't want players questioning them [referees] all the time and we don't want to hear referees giving great long explanations," he said.
The Blues avoided any serious injuries against the Reds but with less than a fortnight until their opening game against the Chiefs are uncertain whether captain Troy Flavell and loose forward Daniel Braid will have recovered from injury.
No 8 Nick Williams and halfback Danny Lee return to action this week after lengthy recuperation from serious injuries they suffered in last year's provincial competition.
