Halfpenny kicks LBP

By Andrew Collins
December 17 2011

A frankly diabolical first half performance was only marginally improved after the break, as Cardiff Blues threw away their chance to dominate Pool 2. But why were they so inexcusably poor?

We’ll keep this short, as the less said about Friday’s game, the better.

The Blues totally failed to turn up to Murrayfield, looking disinterested and void of ideas. They struggled to get their hands on the ball and when they did, a string of knock ons, sloppy passes and poor kicks ensured they never even got a foothold.

Indeed the visitors were totally outplayed by their spirited hosts, who should’ve secured 2 or even 3 tries inside the first half, butchering several chances with the Blues line begging.

The second half continued largely in the same vein. It was a shambles from the start, and only improved when Richie Rees came on late in the game – a change which should’ve happened 20 minutes earlier.

Without going into the painstaking details of the appalling match, Rees’ contribution and – to his credit – the effort of Dan parks with ball in hand, the Blues clawed and kicked their way back within 7 points, with Leigh Halfpenny calmly slotting a penalty in the closing minutes.

Match report aside, can the Blues really justify such a performance?

Admittedly, it’s been a hugely fragmented few weeks for Gareth Baber and Justin Burnell, winning back-to-back Heineken matches before losing their top players to Wales duty, taking a spanking at Leinster before trying to fit those internationals back in ahead of the first fixture with Edinburgh.

How can any coach develop continuity when his best players are making just their 3^rd or 4^th appearance of the season?

Casey Laulala has looked quite poor in the big matches this season, but is his poor performance again related to the misunderstanding with his fellow backs? So far this season, Laulala has partnered Gavin Evans, Daf Hewitt, Jamie Roberts and has been on the bench for several matches. Of those games, he’s had Ceri Sweeney, Dan Parks and Gareth Davies at outside half. How can a side gel when there’s such a lack of continuity?

The next few weeks will be the first real chance the Blues coaches have to stake their claim as Dai Young’s long-term successors.

With no internationals, a small injury list and a number of high profile games over the festive period, the Blues will have no excuse for displays as bad as last nights. I'd certainly be keen to hear your views on this, post your comments below.