Still being alive in the competition but knowing there were two tough games ahead, against the Highlanders in Dunedin and the Crusaders at home, would keep the Blues grounded through the last rounds of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Blues coach Leon MacDonald said after Sunday's 21-17 win over the Chiefs that their immediate focus was the Highlanders.
"The margins are incredibly small," he said.
It was a situation where the Crusaders could earlier have lost a couple of games, as could the Blues, but there were slices of luck, referees' calls all of which were creating interesting rugby that was drawing in fans.
MacDonald said Sunday's effort hadn't been the prettiest win, but they would take it because all wins were important given the tough nature of the competition.
He said the concession of penalties had been an issue for the side and as a result of that they were unable to get their game flowing.
"We've worked so hard on our discipline and it is biting us. We've got to get better at it," he said.
The nature of the competition with momentum swings, both in the games and overall, meant it wasn't always possible to run the ball as teams might like and it came down to showing how much heart teams had.
"I think we did that today, the way we defended the line and I thought our maul defence was courageous. Tanks are starting to get a bit empty in all the teams, you can see that and out there tonight we did grind it out and I'm very proud of that effort," he said.
Prop Ofa Tuungafasi's efforts for the side were deserving of special mention, MacDonald said.
"I think he's been outstanding on the grass and off the grass this year. We measure how hard they work and he's been setting records for tighthead props and he wants to keep going, he's getting disappointed when he's coming off at the 60-minute mark," he said.
On the field he was showing he was the all-round package both in his defence and in his ball-in-hand play.
"He's hungry to keep getting better so long may this continue," he said.
Beauden Barrett's return to first five-eighths had impressed him and he had taken the ball to the line well while they were able to get phases together and he would have been happy with his first effort, he said.
Barrett said he had enjoyed getting back into his more traditional role of getting more touches of the ball and calling plays.
They hadn't been able to get the flow they wanted or to be able to execute well enough and hadn't nailed their lineout opportunities.
"We put a lot of planning into games like this so not to be able to execute our plan was a little bit frustrating and we saw a lot of errors and our discipline was pretty poor," he said.
At the same time he said he was pleased with the way the side had worked their way through and had shown grit in the final stages.
Also disappointing was the way the Chiefs had been able to get back into the game so simply.
The defensive effort in the last few moments had been impressive and had demonstrated how determined the side were to avoid a third consecutive loss.
Barrett said the side knew there was more potential to show through but it was about being a little more composed and nailing their skill execution under pressure.
Chiefs coach Warren Gatland said the referee [Brendon Pickerill] had been confident he made the right decision so there was no point in dwelling on the call that saw a crucial penalty awarded against the Chiefs on the Blues' line in the final minute and it was a case of having to accept the decision.
"I was disappointed but I was pretty proud of that performance and that effort from our guys," he said.
Although down 0-14 they had shown courage to get themselves in front.
It was an incredibly tough competition but in spite of the position they were in without a win they hadn't given up like some teams would have.
"Long-term this team is really going to benefit. Some of those youngsters out there are going to remember these experiences and be better for that as players and we are exposing some youngsters to this top level of rugby which is really going to enhance our depth," he said.
That was especially the case while six experienced players were not available to them through injuries at the moment.
"I can't decry in terms of effort and attitude of the players, I'm proud and they didn't capitulate, they kept fighting right until the end," he said.
Gatland said the rugby in the competition was fantastic from a spectator's point of view and there were times when he wished he was a neutral.
It was potentially as close to Test match rugby as it was possible to get and it would hold the All Blacks in good stead if they were to go into a Championship and so long as they didn't pick up too many injuries.
"The level of rugby being played at the moment is absolutely outstanding and no-one's holding back," he said.