@Tim agree totally with that. Nonu started ok but fell off the pace in the 2nd half of the last few games.

Blues still have leaders and playmakers who make poor decisions. Plus the Coaches - no excuse for leaving Parsons on, a 40 minute player at best

@ACT-Crusader did you see Williams got wrong footed on d for that try. Looked like he was protecting dodgy knee.

@Tim and then Parsons misses a tackle

@Tim or not

@nzzp I was positive for most of the season noting the close ones but they kept losing them with senior players making dumb decisions but the performance against the Reds ends the discussion with a thud.

@nzzp I think you have to be realistic and say the Blues have made no progress. At times they have looked much better but the table is the real answer.

@nzzp agree with the general thrust of that. I think Nonu is starting to show his age and that shows in the 2nd forty with his error rate. At times he looks every bit the great player he is. With my Northland hat on I think Nock in his two starts (?) started to show the promise we hoped he had.

Another comment is that players are never as good or bad as we think they are ( borrowed this from interview on the radio with Peter Thorburn many years ago ) and that selection mix, culture, coaching plays a big part in performance. In this regard the Blues have failed big time over many years. Last night I watched all the Blues loose forwards get pushed off within arms tackles a number of times. In the game before I watched the Highlanders come forward in a straight line and hit with their shoulders and drive tacklers back - and this was in the last 5 minutes when they had every right to be shagged. The culture and team work allows them to perform above the individual reputation of players in their squad.

Lastly, when are the Blues going to give Northland a Super 15 game. The Blues have always been run by the Auckland mafia and it has shat on them big time. They should have used Northland as a nursery and training ground for all the talent they have pissed away over the years. But they didn’t. Selfish pricks.

@African-Monkey they haven’t won at this level for a long time buddy.

The Blues have played miles better than that for most of the season. This was their worst performance against a very average team.