@kiwipie said in Blues v Jaguares:
What struck me as a disinterested observer was the contrast between watching the Blues and then watching the Crusaders immediately after.
The Crusaders were far from perfect and dropped a lot of ball. But they had a clear game plan that everyone knew and they had energy - notably on defence - they looked like they enjoyed defending, all the players bouncing back to their feet and back into the line and sprinting across the line if they thought they were undermanned somewhere.
The Blues team looked tired - I know the conditions were sapping but not many of them looked energetic. And no clear game plan at all. They had to use the wind to pin the Jags back in their 22 and make them work from deep and then use energetic defence to force mistakes - that's what you do on a foul night with a lead and the wind behind. Still no idea why I tipped them to win - and something has to give next week with the NZ teams beating Aussie teams every time, who will back the Blues to win in Sydney?
Agreed. The preparation issues you touch on have been evident since the first game against the Chiefs. The fall off in effort is a more recent problem.. perhaps the wheels are completely falling off..
If you were to single out the players who put in a good effort over the weekend it probably would be Goodhue and Papali'i.
Whats notable about them? They have only recently been exposed to the top team.
Against the Waratahs I wouldn't be surprised if we are slight favourites with the bookies again. By my count the Blues have been favourites in 5 matches and only converted that once against the Sunwolves (progress is being made! players are growing! don't throw out the progress!)