Last week we went to Melbourne on the back of a pretty big week where we had a camp at the Naval base in Whangaparaoa. As I mentioned in my last blog, we worked the boys hard both on and off the pitch and it was a great opportunity for us all to come together as a team.

We travelled to Melbourne on Friday and had quite a long day where the plane was delayed. When we finally arrived in Melbourne the airport staff were on strike and it took us an hour and a half to clear customs and get out of the airport so we ended up cancelling our light run. 

It was fair to say that we got off to a pretty lethargic start against the Rebels when we were staring at the scoreboard with us down 15-0 after just six minutes on the back of some of our errors, but it was great to watch the composure of the leaders as they brought it back together and we came home strongly in the second half scoring four tries to two. 

We also had three tries disallowed and numerous other opportunities that we didn’t finish off. So all-in-all it served its purpose of giving us a chance to work under pressure and I was pretty pleased with how the boys did. 

A positive aspect was that our defence shut the Rebels down once we awoke from our slumber and it was a big step up from last week. Because of our slow start we ended up having to dig ourselves out and the players did a very good job at that. 

There were some good key learnings from the match that will hold us in good stead for the year ahead because we will certainly be put under the pump at different times throughout the season.

The only injury concerns to come out of the Rebels game were Sherwin Stowers who rolled his ankle and is not available this week, and Piri Weepu who just had a bit of a niggle with his ankle that has been ongoing since last year, but he should be available off the bench on Friday.

The other thing that was good going to Melbourne was that it provided a dummy run for when we are next there in April. A lot of guys hadn’t been to Melbourne or played at the stadium before so having a bit of a test run of everything was really worthwhile and the boys certainly enjoyed it. We know now when we’re back in round seven nothing will be a surprise for us.

This week’s game against the Highlanders is a perfect test for us. They ran the Chiefs close last week and one of the things about the Highlanders is they were the surprise package last year which has brought a lot of confidence to the team. The big area for them was around the breakdown and the commitment they had there so we know what’s coming and it’s an area we really want to be challenged on. We know they’ll bring physicality to that facet of the game and they’ll bring plenty of intensity so it’s an ideal build-up as we go into the Crusaders match the following week.

We’re playing here at Unitec on Friday at our home base which is a first and certainly the boys are looking forward to it. The main thing we want to get out the game this week is building on last week. We know we’ll be under pressure and it’s really the composure and the clarity of our communications by key people. The competition for places is high, everyone wants to be there for next week’s game and some of the performances have been pretty outstanding so it’s going to be very hard to nail that starting team for next week.

This week we bring Kevvie back who is raring to go. We have to hold him back a bit so like the other returning All Blacks I’ll probably limit him to 40 minutes, possibly less and Luke Braid also returns after shoulder surgery so he’s really keen to go as well.

The good thing about pre-season is it gives us a chance to trial different things and with Daniel Braid getting injured last year we saw his brother Luke really come to the fore with the opportunity to play week in, week-out and he played so well he received the players’ Player of the Year. He’s off to a slower start this year with his injury so with Daniel just coming back last week and only getting 40 minutes it was a good opportunity to throw the two Braids together on either side of the scrum because it gives us another option there and now is the time to try it.

We’ve named just the starting XV for Friday’s match and the others will sit on the bench but they know there’s no guarantee for everyone to get on, it’s about seeing how the game unfolds but certainly the competition is pretty fierce and I’m seeing it at the training ground with the boys really laying into each other, pushing each other and encouraging each other so there’s a really good feel there.

Everyone’s pretty excited about the start of the season and it’s coming around very fast. I think on that point, the real key for this season is going to be the support of the team and we’ve been encouraged by the fanbase the team has slowly built up over the years, particularly with the introduction of the flags and more people wearing blue. 

With that in mind there’s actually a group out there called the ‘Blue Army’ which I want to encourage everyone to get behind.  As we found during the Rugby World Cup last year, people knew they could go to the game and really enjoy the occasion, the atmosphere and people got out there in their colours. So this year at Eden Park we want to have a sea of blue - a ‘Blue Nation’ if you like, and the Blue Army is going to be a great group to be a part of for all ages. Check out their facebook page or follow them on Twitter

One thing we are going to do as a team to show the support we have for our Blues fans is that at every home game three to four people could be selected from the crowd at any time in their blues colours, flags, facepaint, wigs etc and they’ll be invited into the changing room straight after the game to meet the boys. So it’s a great opportunity to be part of a group that is supporting us because the players really value the support and together we can do it – so go crazy, dress in blue and really get behind the team because it makes a massive difference. We realise that our fans are no different from the players and management in that we all want this team to do well and win so it gives us an avenue to come together and unite for the cause.  So join the Blues Army, it’s free, you’ll see them around the ground, they’ll launch themselves at the Crusaders game and most importantly have some fun! 

A chance to join up with The Blue Army will be at the Open Day at Orakei Domain this Sunday. The whole team will be down there from 11am – 2pm and we’ll be running skills and drills like we did last year for all different age groups. It’s a great chance to meet the players – if you’ve got kids or you are a kid come along, enjoy the drills and we’ll be hanging around for signing afterwards and the Blue Army will be set up there. The boys are looking forward to it so we’ll see you on Sunday morning for what will be a great way to get ready the 2012 season.

Until next time

Pat Lam

Blues head coach