Lam proud of his brave Blues
The Blues’ torrid run of defeats finally came to an end as they tamed the Lions 25-3 on Friday, a win that made outgoing coach Pat Lam very proud.
It was by no means pretty or clinical, nor was it overly convincing against the Super Rugby cellar dwellers, but it was a crucial win nonetheless after seven long weeks of agony.
It came in a week that saw the Blues franchise confirm that Lam’s job will be up for tender at the end of the season.
A meagre crowd of 10,127 true blue (Blues!) fans descended on Eden Park determined to cheer on their side despite the disappointing run of form, and their collective sigh of relief as the full-time siren sounded was palpable.
“We got the win and that’s all that matters,” said captain Luke Braid, adding that the relief at not losing was satisfaction enough.
“They made a few line breaks and were hard on attack. In previous games they’d have scored tries from that but our scramble was awesome, we got back and fought for it.”
Lam also spoke of relief, following his side’s first win on home turf this season, adding: “I’m very, very proud of the boys.
“You can’t underestimate where we’ve come from and what’s been going on in the team, how hard it is to get a win.
“We know it’s not perfect rugby and we know it wasn’t pretty but for me I’m really proud of the boys digging deep to come away with a win to end the sequence we’ve been on.”
The only setback for the Blues was prop Charlie Faumuina, who was carried off with a serious calf tear.
