Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu has said his side is "getting around" Caleb Clarke, after the wing pleaded guilty on Monday for failing to stop and driving in a dangerous manner.
The incident happened while Clarke was riding riding his motorbike in Auckland last year.
"He's a smart person and he knows he's made a mistake. He's sorry for his actions and we've just got to get around him. He knows the procedure now…being a close friend and a teammate, you can't do nothing else but be beside him and help him through," said Tuipulotu after Blues training on Tuesday.
"I reached out to him, let him know 'I'm here for you' and I think a lot of others did the same."
The news about Clarke caps off a relatively miserable start to the season for the defending champions, who have lost their first two games. Tuipulotu said that it won't be a distraction as they prepare for another tough fixture this weekend against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
"We're old enough now, it won't be a distraction, we have to get on with rugby. We'll just help him (Caleb) through it, he's a very emotional person and wears his heart on his sleeve so there's that worry there. But with his support crew that he has, his family and his teammates in the Blues, he'll be alright."
The Blues are coming off a tough 29-21 loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin, despite holding a two-man advantage for a period in the second half due to the home side's front row injuries and a red card to prop Daniel Lienert-Brown. Tuipulotu admitted that the decision-making at the back end of the game could have been better.
"Leadership…probably lacked making those decisions. We should've just tapped and gone to our carry-clean game, especially when we lost those lineouts at crucial times," he said.
Finn Hurley of the Highlanders scores. Photo: Steve McArthur/www.photosport.nz
Despite the numerical advantage that would've given them an automatic two-man overlap off a depowered scrum, the Blues opted for three attacking lineouts in a row that were pinched by Highlanders lock Fabian Holland. Tuipulotu admitted that the experienced heads in the Blues, which includes several senior All Blacks, should've done better.
"It's a bit of both, but mainly on my shoulders. As a collective, we let ourselves down."
Tuipulotu said that the Blues were perhaps a bit "too comfortable" after their breakout season last year, and that the other sides had caught on to their direct and physical tactic.
"It's hard looking at the results, two losses on the trot and in games where we were lacking a bit of forward effort. We'll have a good, hard look at ourselves."
