Sharks 23
Blues 10
Don't accuse the Blues of veering away from their form book.
The yo-yo men yesterday obliged the win-loss record markers with a defeat to open their South African tour and continue the fluctuating line in the results chart which has marred their season.
The loss to the Sharks in Durban
has delivered a near terminal hit to the Blues' semifinal chances with all sorts of weird results needed if they are to scrape into the playoffs. The wackiest would be three victories for the Blues to round out their programme.
This was their fifth loss in 10 matches, the latest the result of a lack of discipline and poor execution.
The Blues failed to score a point in the last 55 minutes of the match after five-eighths Stephen Brett went round his marker and found loose forward Peter Saili in support for the converted try.
After that, nothing. The Sharks made most of the play and were held up over the line several times while nailing a vital try to Ruan Pienaar just before halftime.
At one stage, the Blues turned down a handy kick at goal in the second half and then not long after, asked Brett to attempt a difficult angled kick from 45m. It made little sense.
Meanwhile, the Sharks kept up the pressure, succeeded with kicks from Pienaar, Andy Goode and Rory Kockott and ground out the victory which has left them equal with the Blues on the points table.
"It was a physical effort, but at the end of the day we made too many errors and discipline cost us a lot of penalties, which is a credit to the pressure the Sharks put us under and we've just got to regroup and focus on beating the Cheetahs this week," Blues coach Pat Lam said.
He conceded his side's semifinal fate was out of their control as they sit nine points behind the leading quartet with just three round-robin games left.
All the Blues could do now, the coach acknowledged, was concentrate on working out how to beat the Cheetahs this week in Bloemfontein. The hosts would be buoyed by their draw with the Chiefs, the return of their skipper Juan Smit and their return home from an arduous tour.
"We've just got to regroup and bounce back stronger this week and it's vital we get a good win, we're determined to strike back," said Lam.
The Blues will be without Luke McAlister and Rudi Wulf, who are returning home to paternal duties, though McAlister was probably due an invalid exit after lasting a couple of minutes before damaging his hamstring. Lock Anthony Boric has recovered from his ankle injury and will join the Blues, with versatile back George Pisi, for the next game.
The team will want to consolidate the set-piece and defensive efforts from Durban, but they will need to work on their ball retention and support play after turning over possession yesterday too many times.
Referee Mark Lawrence penalised the Blues regularly at the breakdowns while they were also marched once for indiscipline towards the end of the second spell, allowing Kockott to goal from 52m.
