The Blues have taken their pre-season training away from the rugby field and off the beaten track.
The side have been put through their traditional mud run, with a couple of added surprises waiting for them afterwards.
At the Devonport Naval base, the Auckland-based Super Rugby Pacific side were quite literally in the thick of their off-season conditioning - with not a rugby ball in sight. Instead, they faced a gruelling run or walk through knee-high mud.
"Not my first rodeo at pre-season, but my first rodeo at the mud run," said loose forward Anton Segner. "It was special."
Laughed prop Joshua Fusitua: "In my head, I was just thinking one step after the other, but I had a strategy in my head, which was 10 steps... 30 seconds rest."
Just when they thought the worst was over and they were safely back on dry land, there was more to come, as they were called on to haul boats and logs around the basin, before a team 'Bronco' to top it off.
"Bro, I was battling, man," said Fusitua. "After the mud run, I thought we were done and they kept adding more things."
Some could only support from the sidelines.
"Managed to get out of this one," winked veteran first-five Harry Plummer. "Just battling a wee niggle."
A timely injury layoff, but for all the pain, the Blues hope they'll wreap the benefits next year.
"When stuff hits the fan during the season, this is what's going to get us through."
The Blues hope they have a smoother ride in Super Rugby Pacific next season.
