Blues captain Dalton Papalii has spoken of the pride he and his team are feeling during their momentous run through Super Rugby Pacific this season – 10 consecutive victories which are helping to banish the memories of the bad old days of underachievement at the franchise.
As the Blues prepare to play the Reds at Eden Park on Saturday – their final home game of the regular season – Papalii touched on what being in a consistently high-performing squad meant to him.
“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s such a special feeling knowing we can give back and keep doing the job right. I remember joining this team and we were in some pretty dark days. To see how far we’ve come since has been a massive shift. I can’t put it into words.”
The Blues won last year’s Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition but haven’t won a full championship since 2003, when they beat the Crusaders in the final at Eden Park.
They, along with the Crusaders, have the deepest squads in the competition this season but, unlike their red and black rivals, are playing with an energy and consistency which suggest they are now this year's title favourites. After the Reds game they play the Brumbies and Waratahs in Australia before returning for a home quarter-final.
There are clearly various factors responsible for their success, including the form of their pack, which has regular loose forward Tom Robinson starting at lock alongside James Tucker against the Reds, plus a backline containing Beauden Barrett and Stephen Perofeta, both of whom are starting this week, and a stacked coaching panel including former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt.
According to Papalii, it is the forwards who are paving the way.
“There are a lot of dogs in the forward pack. Luke Romano keeps telling the boys and he even tells me – 'don’t get tired of doing the basics, the basics are what wins championships'. I feel like we’re nailing those little things, the one or two percenters, and we’re not getting tired of it. We’re enjoying doing the dirty work and the dark arts.
"Yes, it’s 10 games on the trot but we don’t want to focus on that, we want to keep going forward."
READ MORE: Joe Schmidt's intensity a key influence at Blues, says Christie
When asked about his captaincy, Papalii, in the Super Rugby form of his life, said his leadership group of senior players, including Barrett and Romano, were making the job easier.
Fresh from their demolition of the Rebels at Eden Park last weekend, the Blues welcome back Barrett from his All Black-enforced rest to the No.10 jersey. Perofeta starts at fullback.
"Having them both on the field is pretty key," assistant coach Tom Coventry said. "They complement each other. You may have seen at training today they regularly swapped positions as first receiver and on the short side – it’s great to have Beaudy back and good to have Stephen there as well."
The Reds arrive after a poor performance in a defeat to the Highlanders in Brisbane but Coventry said he and his fellow coaches had reinforced the need for attacking efficiency, adding his team’s support play against the Force was at an all-season best.
"We’re talking a lot about our discipline and accuracy and nailing our opportunities as they come," he said.
The Blues team to play the Reds at Eden Park on Saturday, kick-off 7.05pm is
1. Alex Hodgman
2. Kurt Eklund
3. Ofa Tuungafasi
4. James Tucker
5. Tom Robinson
6. Akira Ioane
7. Dalton Papalii [C]
8. Hoskins Sotutu
9. Finlay Christie
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Caleb Clarke
12. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
13. Rieko Ioane
14. Mark Telea
15. Stephen Perofeta
Reserves:
16. Soane Vikena
17. Jordan Lay
18. Nepo Laulala
19. Luke Romano
20. Adrian Choat
21. Sam Nock
22. Bryce Heem
23. Zarn Sullivan
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