Win and they're in.
It's an equation Blues fans have heard time and time again since their last Super Rugby title in 2003 but more often than not history has put the Auckland franchise on the wrong side of the formula.
This week's final round of trans-Tasman Super Rugby has once again presented that opportunity though with a bonus-point win over the winless Western Force at Eden Park guaranteeing the top-of-the-table Blues a place in next week's final.
It comes after a disappointing Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign which saw the Blues fail to make the final after a promising start to 2021.
Blues loose forward Tom Robinson admitted the third-place finish was a hard pill to swallow.
"We had some pretty brutal conversations with ourselves between the two competitions because we didn't get it right with that first one," Robinson said.
A bonus point win against the winless Force will see the Blues host the trans-Tasman Super Rugby final.
"Now there's a real hunger to be on top and now the challenge is staying there.
"There was still that hunger [in Super Rugby Aotearoa], we still wanted to win but now we've realised every week you've got to earn it and against every single team.
"You can't just wait for it to happen, you've got it make it."
With that mindset, Robinson said the team has a very straight-forward perspective heading into this Saturday's must-win match.
"We don't win this weekend, we don't have a final so it's pretty much a semi-final for us this week," Robinson said.
Robinson said despite their 0-4 record, the Blues aren't taking the Force lightly either.
"The Force are an awesome team - we saw how good they were against the Crusaders [losing 29-21] and they've got that chip on their shoulder that they want to prove after they were kicked out of Super Rugby.
"They're here to prove a point and what better way than to beat the top of the table?"
1 NEWS Sport presenter Andrew Saville reminded Robinson there will likely be many expecting the Force to do just that on Saturday given the Blues' recent history of "falling over at the last hurdle" but the Northland star's response was just as blunt.
"It's not going to happen this week," he said.
"Simple as that."
SHARE ME