The Blues are bringing out every old rugby adage as they eye an increasingly unlikely title defence.

Sitting eighth on the points table with just three wins and six losses, the Blues have been a shell of the side which broke its 20 year title drought last year.

A quick glance at their draw may suggest a favourable run home, with just a single derby to come in the form of Moana Pasifika.

But the Australian sides in 2025 are proving a different beast, and no team provides an easy win.

Coach Vern Cotter was adamant they were paying no attention to future fixtures.

"I'm not being silly, I just really think we need to focus on the now and we've got to adapt to each situation before you start looking too far ahead. It's about fighting tooth and nail for everything and if after 80 minutes we get the win, well then that helps us qualify. If we don't well then we'll deal with that as well."

So tight is this year's competition, that even with only three wins, the Blues sit just four points off the top six.

"Look too far ahead and then you're just going to pile too much pressure on yourselves. There is no point getting too far ahead. Every week is a big game."

Last weekend's heartbreaking defeat in Christchurch had plenty of positives for Cotter.

"If you look at the Crusaders game, that was a reasonable performance. I thought there was a real desire to do well in that game and the players are playing for each other and backing each other up. If you look at those incremental improvements, I think that's the key."

Friday night sees the Blues head to Brisbane to meet the fourth placed Reds, fresh off a bye.

While recent history has seen kiwi sides hold a the edge over their Australian rivals, this season has been a different story with no New Zealand team having picked up a win across the ditch.

But the Blues aren't shying away from the challenge that awaits with just five regular season games remaining for them.

"We spoke about dark places and getting used to going to them and this we have to be at our best, in under pressure situations that we need to respond."

With the weekend's round coinciding with Anzac Day, Cotter said he has looked to inspire his men through the stories of our soldiers.

"They are very conscious and aware of what Anzac means. I think most families have had some sort of impact from that at some stage in previous generations - we heard some firsthand accounts and what it actually meant.

"The camaraderie and the cohesion that people under difficulty went through back in those days. There's a lot of things that are relevant in today's society."