Outspoken Blues flanker Tom Robinson has just confirmed what everyone else in the room was thinking - their 2021 Super Rugby Trans Tasman crown may as well be 'The Golden Asterisk'.
In a season wrecked by the COVID-19 pandemic, NZ Super Rugby sides found their campaigns divided into two formats - Aotearoa contested amongst themselves and Trans Tasman purely against Australian sides.
With Aussie franchises incapable of winning more than two of the 25 encounters, the competition became a lolly scramble, with three unbeaten teams - the Blues, Highlanders and Crusaders - tied at the top of the table and separated only by points difference.
After barely holding off the Brumbies in their opening fixture, the Aotearoa champion Crusaders - fresh off their fifth consecutive Super Rugby title - were always playing catch-up and missed the final by six points, with the Blues eventually overcoming the Highlanders 23-15 for the silverware.
Called into captaincy for their delayed 2022 season-opener against the Hurricanes on Saturday, Robinson admits the win was nice - their first trophy since 2003 (unless you count the pre-season 2018 Brisbane Tens) - but not the real thing.
"I personally don't consider that we won the real title last year," he says. "What we did was cool and we achieved our goal, but for me, it was just a little taste and you can tell there's a lot of hunger amongst the group for more.
"I think there's no complacency, everyone's got that same mindset. Just that attitude of everyone wanting to get better, not just individually, but for the team aspect is something I've really noticed that's different from previous years."
Robinson was reduced to running water for that Super Rugby Trans Tasman climax, but led the charge in post-match celebrations. Eight months later, he takes a different prespective on the result.
"We should take some confidence from what we did and it was awesome, but it was just a taste and we have to earn that right again," he deadpans. "We have to earn that right to be champions, we can't just expect it to happen."
Just a few days after calling the Government out on its COVID vaccine mandate, Robinson, 27, will lead the Blues in the absence of All Blacks flanker Dalton Papalii, who is sidelined under concussion protocols.
"Dalton took a headknock at training at the start of the week and we've left him out for precautionary reasons," says forwards coach Tom Coventry. "It was a glancing blow, but because of his previous history, we're just going to give him a 10-day stand-down, even though he's not symptomatic any more.
"It's the start of a season and we just don't want anyone carrying an injury."
The Blues are already a week behind their NZ rivals, after a COVID outbreak among Moana Pasifika players forced the postponement of their opening encounter.
"It would have been nice to have that first hitout, but we've adapted really well and it has actually given us a bit of time to iron out a few creases," says Robinson. "That's something we've talked about - that change of mindset going into that first game and having that ruthless attitude."
Join us at 7pm Saturday for live updates of the Hurricanes v Blues Super Rugby Pacific clash
