Firstly, everyone is pleased we got a game under our belts against the Hurricanes last week. The boys have been doing a lot of work, they’re physically in great condition and the way they went out there first-up and were able to deliver was really pleasing.
Although it’s just a pre-season game, to score six tries to one was encouraging. I said at the start of the week the priority was around the systems and structures and the boys delivered there but the game also gives us plenty to review and look at areas we can tidy up.
One area that stands out in particular is obviously our discipline. With the Super Rugby referees having their conference last week, I asked Bryce Lawrence before the game to be really tough on us as I’d rather us get pinged and learn from it now than in a proper game during the season.
One area that was highlighted was being offside around the rucks and it was normally one guy. We were also penalised around the breakdown for sealing off on attack instead of clearing out, so I was pretty pleased we had some footage to look at and review. This week we’ve put a lot of work into tidying up those areas which is what we want before we go into the first proper game against the Crusaders on February 24.
A really pleasing aspect of the game was the performance of the young guys. The Crusaders game first-up is one that everyone wants to play in so there’s plenty of competition for positions. The boys who have been here working before Christmas have a head start on the conditioning of the All Blacks coming back in and they know there could be opportunities for them to make the team so it was good they set a good bench mark and now they just need to back it up in Melbourne.
We only had a day to recover from the Hurricanes game and then we headed to the Naval Base at Army Bay in Whangaparaoa for a camp and that’s been brilliant to get away as a group. Obviously we’ve still been doing plenty of rugby stuff but the main focus of the camp was on team building and to take the guys out of their comfort zones. There were 20 people to a dorm room, they were split into the mini-teams and we had a parade which was excellent. The Navy were outstanding, they assigned each team a different officer and gave the boys a quick demo on how to march, stand at ease and all the other little tricks and then each team had to go out and parade in front of the others and we were all judged and found the winner.
An exercise where the team went into dark tunnels was also a daunting challenge. Myself, Mark Harvey and Bryce Woodward were able to follow the teams in and it was just pitch black in there. Before they went in they were asked the question “Is anyone claustrophobic or afraid of the dark?” and I’d say about three quarters of the players put their hands up! The key message was just to stick together, they thought there may have been a chance to opt out but they were given a safe word so if they were truly under stress they could be bailed out. I went behind one team and they were jovial and laughing but as soon as they got past the point in the tunnel where there was no light it was pretty daunting and you saw the leaders step up and you saw the guys who were able to give out clear instructions that the others were able to follow. You could do it in possibly 25 minutes, or you could be in there for two hours, it all came down to working together. The key rule was you couldn’t leave anyone behind and obviously if anyone was it was pretty overwhelming not knowing where to go, so the guys created little systems on how to do work together and as a coach I was really pleased with the way they all did it. There were plenty of similarities between that exercise and what we need this year as far as clear communication, direct leadership and people following instructions, and as far as our game plan and what needs to happen on the field under pressure it was bang on. So all-in-all the last week at the Naval Base tied in really well with our rugby training and gave us plenty of time to come together as a group.
We head back to Auckland today and the guys only get the evening off before we’re on the plane to Melbourne at 6.00am tomorrow morning for our second pre-season game against the Rebels.
Certainly part of the planning when the 2012 Super Rugby draw came out and we realised we were playing in Melbourne was to get in touch with the Rebels and come to an agreement for a pre-season game as a lot of the guys haven’t been to Melbourne or played at the stadium before. We decided to rough it a bit, go on an early flight with no food and the key priority was to get a game and to familiarise ourselves with Melbourne so when we come back in April the boys are used to it like all the other places we normally go to.
Looking ahead to Saturday night’s game, the key focus is that we’re continuing to move forward and progress. The first training run of the week was all remedial, tidying up issues, the discipline and other areas of our game we needed to work on. The aim is that next week after the Rebels game we’re not talking about those things, that we’ve tidied them up and we’re able to come away from the match saying those areas that let us down against the Hurricanes have been fixed so we know we’re moving forward.
The other areas we’re focussing on are around performance, putting another stake in the ground for the Crusaders game and re-introducing those who are coming back from injury or extended breaks such as Piri Weepu, Ali Williams, Isaia Toeava and Liaki Moli.
I think the real key for those guys getting back into rugby. With them being in camp this week it’s been pretty easy for them to slot back in and it’s allowed Piri to run the show and make the calls as the first five-eighths on Saturday. Most of the guys will get about 40 minutes so it’s just about reintroducing them to the team and the ‘Blues Way’.
The Rebels may have come off a heavy defeat against the Chiefs last week but you can never read too much into pre-season games and now they’ll have a few more of their stars back. All teams are better after a game under their belts so of course after their 36-0 loss they’ll come back and if they weren’t focussed before, I’d say they’ll certainly be a lot more focussed this week. They played in Geelong last week, now they’re playing at their home ground in Melbourne so of course it will be a tougher battle and that’s exactly what we’re after.
Until next week,
Pat Lam
Blues head coach