The Auckland Blues, have they turned a corner this season??

[The Jones Boy]

After years, literally season after season of hopelessly under achieving we finally had a season where the Blues came close to pulling off some big performances and instead of coming away empty handed from bad performances, they were picking up bonus points from those encounters.
39 points is an average haul but not what you would expect from a powerhouse province of NZ rugby with a rich tradition and history of silverware, but not in recent years.
The Blues have been in the wilderness for the best part of a decade.
Then along comes Tana Umaga and a new approach on a clean slate.
So many new names have appeared and new talent is coming through. If he can keep the job and build on performances from this season, where for the first time the Blues actively looked like they had a plan and the talent to make things happen, then maybe they can build the platform required to launch themselves into play off contention next season.
Yeah sure there were frustrating moments this season, not least was when after winning their opening match against the Highlanders the Blues went away to the Crusaders where Tana almost completely changed the winning team from the week before.
This was baffling to to Blues fans.
Tana was punished for it and I was wondering if the wheels had come off again so early in the season just as they had with Kirwan's management.
Then came a 4 point loss at home to the eventual champions, and an away draw at the reds where the Blues should have capitalised.
A comfortable home win over the Jaguars was followed by a bonus point loss away at the Chiefs. Then a home win against the Sharks gave the Blues fans hope as they headed into their second bye.
The game against the Rebels was crazy but the Blues sneaked it by 6 points and there was real hope of a run to the play off line even with some hard games coming up.
A strong win on the road against the out of form Kings gave them a real chance as they looked up at the teams ahead of them but the game against the Lions was a poor performance and they were schooled in the wet at Ellis park. It was a body blow on two counts as it halted the genuine progress up the table and it also rocked the Blues back on their heels because they played poorly.
Maybe it was the travelling, it is never easy in the Republic and the 2nd week is tough but this was a turning point in their season between making a run toward the play offs and staying out of contention.
Still on the road they bounced back with a somewhat lucky win against the Force in Perth on the way home. All was not lost but they had lost their way a little after the Kings victory.
Back home they lost to the Crusaders by 5 points in a tight affair and ewith that any real chance of becoming end of season contenders.
A 10 point loss away at the Canes and then a strong win over the Brumbies at home followed but it was too late to be more than a confidence booster for the young Blues outfit.
Getting over the line against a strong Waratahs outfit by 6 points at home after suffering 2 penalty tries saw the Blues finish mid table.
Statistically they were still mired at the bottom of the Kiwi conference and were established overall as mid table mediocrity.
However, there were flashes of brilliance amid some of the baffling management decisions (the first Crusaders game being an eye opener) and Tana pressed on with trying to find fresh talent with which to bolster his ranks for the next season and some young players put their hand up with excellent performances.
I don't think anyone expected 'great' things from the Blues in Tana's first season with a clean slate and so many fresh faces, but now, after a season of mixed results and performances there has been a feeling that they may have turned a corner in squad development and they should be eyeing to finish with at least 50 points next season to build on the platform laid down in Tana's first season in charge.

 

[BPM]

IMO, the Blues looked a lot better than I have seen them in some time. Even in the games they lost, they were rarely blown away.

SBW's injury is a real blow. His arrival is still a statement of intent and I think it will help Umaga to get other, more established players on board, but it's a shame he won't see the pitch for a good while yet.

Umaga seems to have struck the right balance of leveraging the experience of the more established players like Luatua, bringing through lesser known fringe players like Francis or Pryor and introducing some youth in to the side.

I don't expect them to be ripping-up trees and making the play-offs next season, but they're a couple of signings away from being a good side.

 

[Ali AK9]

They are definitely resurgent, and would love to see them topple the Crusaders next year for 4th, because honestly I don't think 50 points is as realistic, perhaps 45, but this year, no one expected the Lions to finish second, beat 4 NZ sides, and reach the finals after smashing the Crusaders and Highlanders in the QF and SF. I'm not saying the Blues will reach the final next year, but they actually had quite a similar season to that of what the Lions had last year. It took Ackermann 3 years (2013, 2014, 2015) to get the Lions to where they are now. In the next few years, if Tana keeps working with this same core squad and bleeding the youngster through like West, Nanai, the Ioane brothers, we could definitely see them perhaps topple the Crusaders, Chiefs or even Highlanders in the next few years. If someone said that the Lions in 2013 would contest the Super Rugby final in Wellington in 3 years, you would get the same reaction if I told you right now the Western Force or Southern Kings would contest a final in 3 years against the Lions/Hurricanes etc. This Lions team isn't getting enough credit for what they have done, even the Blues aren't getting enough credit, and if the Lions example is anything to go by, the Blues could definitely become the best or if not second best in Super Rugby in the coming 2/3 years (could even see a Lions-Blues final in the next 2 years)