I HAVE the answer to the Auckland Blues' problems - sack the coach.
Sacking David Nucifora mid-way through the 2004 season worked for the ACT Brumbies, who went on to win their second Super trophy that year.
And it seems to be turning around the season of the NSW Waratahs, two weeks after the decision not to renew Ewen McKenzie's coaching contract.
Since then, the Waratahs have defeated the Blues at the Sydney Football Stadium and, on Saturday night, toughed out a hard victory - helped by a remarkable piece of good fortune - over the Western Force at Perth.
These results have taken the Waratahs to fourth spot on the ladder with 26 points, equal with the Hurricanes, who have a superior for-and-against points differential.
The two teams directly behind - the Blues (25 points) and the Force (24) - have played one game more than the Waratahs. The Blues have the bye this weekend and the Force have the bye the following weekend. The Waratahs, therefore, can stretch their lead over them by a further four points.
The "sack the coach" theory worked for the Brumbies in 2004 when, it has been suggested, the senior players took over the running of the side. Whatever happened, Nucifora was a sad sight, wandering around looking for players to hug and congratulate after the Brumbies had defeated the Crusaders 47-38 at Bruce Stadium in the final.
The turnaround for the Waratahs seems to have coincided with McKenzie introducing some younger players. These players have shown more flair, more hunger to score tries and generally a determination to try and win matches rather than the "trying not to lose" tactics adopted earlier in the season by a coach under pressure.
An indication of this new enthusiasm is the remarkable improvement in the Waratahs' for-and-against points ratio. A couple of matches ago, theirs was one of the worst in the tournament. Now it is fifth best.
One of the two tries scored against the Force was lucky in that a nothing kick-through by Lote Tuqiri was accidentally chipped back into Lachie Turner's arms for an easy run-in. Winning teams make their luck, however.
The fact was that the Waratahs were attacking the try line. They were trying to score a try, which is a change from earlier in the season. We are reaching the equivalent in the 2008 Super 14 tournament of the closing holes, the championship holes, on the final day of the Masters.
The Waratahs, with their axed coach at the helm, look the most likely of the Australian sides to emulate the 2004 Brumbies. They play the Lions and the Sharks at home, then play three away games - against the Bulls, the Stormers and Reds. The Waratahs should win three or four of these matches, which should be enough to take them into the finals.
The Force play the Reds away, have the bye, play the Chiefs at home, the Hurricanes away and the Brumbies at home. It's hard to see four wins here.
The Brumbies, who haven't been in the finals since 2004, are six points behind the Waratahs. They play the Sharks and the Lions at home, the Stormers, Bulls and Force away. They need to win at least four of these matches with bonus points, a virtually impossible task. Perhaps it's time for talk about sacking the coach.
