The embattled Blues faced the full wrath of Todd Blackadder and his men on Saturday night, as they were hammered by the Crusaders, 59-12.
Following poor performances against the Reds and the Rebels, Blackadder made no secret of the disappointment he felt in the way his chargers had been playing, and it seems the message got across.
In a night where every pass seemed to stick for the homeside the Aucklanders were never really in contention.
After Matt Todd opened the Crusaders account they went on to secure the bonus point inside the first half, and impressively kept the heat on in the second spell. Fluent counter-attacking movements saw all players displaying deft passing skills, with a brace of tries to veteran hooker Corey Flynn evidence of the Crusaders’ willingness to play open, expansive rugby.
If Pat Lam can take anything from his side’s limp showing it was the resolve they showed to score twice in the second stanza, but yet again the Blues were outgunned and outclassed. For Blackadder it’s now about generating consistency, and if his side can reach similar heights on a weekly basis they will be tough for anyone to beat.