Outsiders welcomed into Blues fold

For the 2010 season, Pat Lam ventured outside the Blues’ provincial union boundaries to pick up some key players ahead of his second campaign in charge. Nuggety Wellington halfback Alby Mathewson joined the Blues ranks along with first five-eighths Stephen Brett who was picked up in the draft a week after leading Canterbury to victory in the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup. Wellington first-five eighths Dan Kirkpatrick was also selected in the draft, while Serge Lilo completed a trio of Lions players moving north to join Pat Lam’s squad.

Vice captain goes down

The Blues suffered a major setback to their 2010 campaign when All Black lock and Blues vice captain Ali Williams ruptured his Achilles tendon in the opening minutes of the Blues’ pre-season match against the Chiefs. It was Williams’ first game back since undergoing surgery on his Achilles tendon and the injury ruled him out of rugby for the rest of the year.

Incercept tries hurt Blues chances

Fifteen years ago the Blues and Hurricanes met in the first ever Super Rugby match back in 1996. The Blues won that game 39-28, but they could not replicate the feat in their opening match of the 2010 Rebel Sport Super 14 as they squandered a 20-12 halftime lead to lose 34-20 on the back of a Hosea Gear intercept try and nine penalty goals from Willie Ripia and Piri Weepu.

The Blues bounced back to score a close-fought 19-15 victory over the Highlanders in Dunedin before hitting their straps in Brisbane to defeat the Reds 27-18. But two further intercept tries, against the Crusaders the Waratahs, the latter coming eight minutes from fulltime to snatch victory from the Blues’ grasp, put a serious dent in their semi-final aspirations.

Kevvie hits the ton

Keven Mealamu became the Blues’ first ever centurion when he led his team out onto Eden Park to face the Brumbies on March 19.The dynamic All Black hooker had already notched up well over 100 Super Rugby games since making his debut for the Blues against the Brumbies back in 2000, having also appeared 11 times for the Chiefs during his stint there as a draft player in 2002. He is the first player to reach the remarkable three figure milestone in a Blues jersey after eclipsing Doug Howlett (97) and Carlos Spencer (96) to become the most capped Blues player of all time.

Blues put in best performance of the year

The Blues ended the Bulls’ 12-match unbeaten streak in the Rebel Sport Super 14 with a magnificent 32-17 victory at Eden Park. In front of a sell-out crowd, the Blues produced their best performance of the season by far to continue their unbeaten record against the Bulls at home, outscoring their opponents by two tries to one to edge closer to the top four on 20 points.

It was a thrilling victory inspired by an incredible effort by the Blues forwards who more than matched their South African counterparts, smashing them in defence and dominating at the ruck. What made the victory even more significant was that the Blues did it without Tony Woodcock who was ruled out due to a neck strain, and John Afoa who left the field injured early in the first half.

But the makeshift front row of Charlie Faumuina, Keven Mealamu and Tevita Mailau stepped up to the challenge remarkably, and alongside an impressive showing by the loose forward trio of Jerome Kaino, Serge Lilo and Viliami Ma’afu, they outclassed the Bulls pack who were clearly rattled by their opponents.

Blues come crashing down

After the highs of smashing the Bulls 32-17 the week before, the Blues were brought back down to earth with a mighty thud as they sunk to a 33-21 loss to the Stormers at Eden Park.

A Joe Rokocoko hat-trick inspired the Blues to a 38-17 victory over the Western Force, but two overseas losses to the Sharks and Cheetahs snuffed out any hopes the Blues had of making the semi-finals. They managed to claim a 56-14 victory over the Lions and then defeated the Chiefs 30-20 in their final match of the season, but by that stage the season had escaped them as they finished seventh on the table, just one win away from a top four spot.

Ranger Danger

In his second year with the Blues, Northland’s enigmatic Rene Ranger burst onto the scene to announce himself as the most exciting attacking player in the competition. While he was prone to a few moments of madness, no-one doubted the immense talent the youngster had with his unrelenting defence, thrilling attack and match-winning flair. His outstanding season for the Blues, which saw him rack up seven tries, was rewarded with a call-up to the All Blacks training squad in June. He subsequently made his test debut off the bench against Wales and was selected in the All Blacks squad for the Tri-Nations.