Despite a few chinks in the armour of Sonny Bill Williams, Blues coach Tana Umaga believes his star midfield back is not far away from the type of match-winning performance expected of him.
'SBW' made two costly errors in the Blues 28-24 loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday night, which Beauden Barrett in particular capitalised upon for the defending Super Rugby champions.
Umaga said those moments will lessen as the 31-year-old settles back into the intensity of Super Rugby, a competition he hasn't played in for over a year.
"I think you saw what Sonny Bill can bring to a team," said Umaga.
"As well as the exciting breaks, there was a bit of rustiness to his game but I think he will only get better with more game time."
The former All Black captain wouldn't buy in to a suggestion from reporters that the week-long controversy surrounding Williams' objections to wearing the BNZ logo played into his sub-par performance.
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"It was more that he has had eight months away from the game – it's just another progression to him getting back to his best."
For the second time in as many weeks the Blues looked set to break their drought against New Zealand franchises, leading 24-21 with nine minutes on the clock.
But Beauden Barrett had other ideas, playing a crucial role in a second try for lock Mark Abbott that put the visitors into a match-winning lead.
The Blues have won just one of their last 20 home derbys, and now face an uphill battle to qualify in the wild card spot for the playoffs.
Umaga said that while the improvement is obvious, he is growing tired of coming up short in the big games.
"In the end though, we aren't getting the results and that's not good enough and at some stage we need to break this duck and actually beat a New Zealand team. Being close isn't good enough."
The Blues coach was glowing in his praise for the oppositions pivot, proclaiming Barrett the best player in the world and in the end the difference between the two sides.
"We strung phases together and stuck to our structures, which is what we (coaches) asked for. I think it was just a bit of brilliance that undid us, but it wasn't to be and when you have got the world's best player in that kind of form – yeah it's disappointing."
The Blues will get the coming week off with a bye, while the Hurricanes host the Brumbies in Napier on Friday night.
Newshub.