Blues give reason to hope as Chiefs taken down
No competition points up for grabs of course, but a decent-looking Blues side have got one up on neighbours the Chiefs in the teams’ first Super Rugby preseason game of the year in Te Kuiti yesterday.
Cobwebs blown and mouths parched in sunny 25degC skies, it was the visitors – having spent the last few days in camp in the Waikato – who ran out convincing 45-19 winners, in a match played across four 20-minute halves and without All Blacks and some other senior players.
With only one playoffs appearance in the past decade, the Blues are always in need of some earlyseason momentum, and Tana Umaga’s third year as coach has at least started off on a decent note, with the look of a well-drilled side on show. On the other hand, new Chiefs coach Colin Cooper will sure have work to do, having seen his players in action for the first time.
The hosts drew first blood early when first five-eighth Tiaan Falcon crashed over, before the visitors replied with a nice effort from second five-eighth TJ Faiane, who latched onto a grubber close to the sticks.
With the Blues on the wrong end of referee Glen Jackson on several occasions, the home side cashed in on a territorial advantage when Tim Nanai-Williams strolled in on the right wing thanks to a beautiful long floating pass from Falcon, who then nailed the tough conversion. But the visitors hit back just before the quarter-time break, when blindside flanker Glenn Preston crashed over, and the teams went to the first interval tied at 14-14.
That’s the way it stayed through till halftime as well, despite the Chiefs’ best counterattacking endeavours, featuring a beautiful sidestepping run from fullback-playing Charlie Ngatai, and then a strong continuing of the movement from winger Solomon Alaimalo, which then led to a sin binning of Blues winger Jordan Trainor for a ruck infringement.
With a vast array of changes in playing personnel for the second half, the Blues spent plenty of time near the Chiefs’ line, and got their new forwards to work, profiting with tries through Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa on the back of a powerful maul; then Antonio Kiri Kiri after several rucks close to the line; and in the wake of the yellow carding of Chiefs lock Laghlan McWhannell for his involvement in a heated scuffle near the sideline, Riedlinger-Kapa collected a second, again from a rolling maul.
That third quarter wasn’t a spell of footy that would have enamoured Cooper much at all, as, along with the defensive leaks, there was a free kick conceded at a lineout for taking too long, a missed touch finder from a penalty, as well as flanker Lachlan Boshier having to leave the park with concussion.
At 31-14 down going into the final quarter, in which Nick Briant swapped his assistant refereeing role with, the Chiefs had prime opportunity early to cut into the deficit, but their attack in front of the posts was undone by a simple handling error. The Blues then swiftly made sure they’d walk away winners when prop Marcel Renata barged over.
The Blues defence then held well as the Chiefs looked somewhat predictable on attack, before eventually hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho burrowed over with 10 minutes to play.
But loose forward Dalton Papali’i then scored in the corner from a superb surge, then the visitors’ defence held strong to nullify a final Chiefs attack.
The teams will now prepare for the second year of the Brisbane 10s next weekend before a final hitout each ahead of the season proper.