The Blues, flying high on the Super Rugby Pacific table, are entitled to feel confident that as the competition moves into the trans-Tasman phase that they will remain the No.1 team and therefore qualify for a home final, if they survive that far into the playoffs.
Should they do so all the evidence suggests they will be extremely hard to beat at Eden Park in the season’s showpiece on June 18.
It’s well documented that the Blues, who haven’t won a full Super Rugby title since 2003 (last year they won the trans-Tasman version after bombing out of the Aotearoa competition), possess a new and long sought-after ruthless streak this season.
They have retained their traditional flair but have cut out the crazy moments – the sloppy passes, dumb penalties and poor kicking. They appear mentally stronger and demand more of themselves and therefore the opposition. Their work rate has improved significantly.
They have needed a quality No.10 for years and Beauden Barrett, absent on a sabbatical last year, is back to within touching distance of his pre-2018 form. which was often spectacular.
And then there is the form of their captain Dalton Papalii, a loose forward who is still only 24 and thriving to such an extent that he is becoming inspirational to the entire Blues franchise.
The Blues haven’t always had such luck with captains.
Patrick Tuipulotu, currently on sabbatical in Japan, grew into the role, but his relatively reserved nature and the fact that as a lock he often had his head buried into the darker places of the scrum and breakdown meant he didn’t seem a natural fit.
Those Blues captains who came before Tuipulotu also had an air of make-do about them.
Opinion: Why relentless Blues are challenging Crusaders' supremacy
Blake Gibson, now at the Hurricanes, lasted one season and the same applied to Augustine Pulu. James Parsons held the role for two. Before Parsons there was Jerome Kaino (two seasons) who would probably admit himself that he wasn’t natural captaincy material – he could lead but was more of a “doer” than an inspirational talker.
Really, before Papalii, you have to go back to Keven Mealamu (2009-12) to find a natural leader who was consistently among the best players in his team.
There’s another change and it’s related to Papalii’s remarkable performance in the Blues’ 27-23 victory over the Crusaders in Christchurch, the first time in 18 years they have beaten the red and blacks in the Garden City.
And that’s the way Papalii is carrying the ball – but the same applies to his fellow loose forwards Tom Robinson and Hoskins Sotutu in particular.
Papalii is a threat on attack, as are the other two. His try at Orangetheory Stadium after breaking through the would-be tackles of Bryn Hall and Richie Mo’unga was partly due to some ordinary defence by that pair but also Papalii’s confidence and determination. He knew he could do it and so he did, and that’s a breakthrough of a different type – something the far bigger and more powerful Tuipulotu has yet to master.
There has always been a sense that All Black Tuipulotu, a giant at nearly 2m and more than 120kg, could do serious damage when charging on to the ball near the try line and yet it’s a part of his game that he’s never fully developed.
Papalii is clearly giving the right messages to his team. Like his teammates he is demanding more from the collective as well as himself. But most of all he is playing with a dominance born of his physicality and confidence that bodes well not just only for the Blues, but also the All Blacks this year.
He is Sam Cane’s understudy for the black No.7 jersey and will likely remain that way for the July tests against Ireland at least.
But his form will keep the pressure on and perhaps create an edge. And as the Blues have displayed this season already, nothing affects high performance quite like high expectations.
SHARE ME