Gatland era starts in fine style Chiefs fight back to grab dramatic win
At a glance
The Warren Gatland era is away to a flyer after his fabulous Chiefs mixed resilience and brilliance to complete an epic 37-29 comeback victory over the Blues at Eden Park last night.
As Super Rugby openers went this was a dandy. As first games of a coach’s new era in charge of his home franchise, it was storybook stuff. It was Gatland’s first victory as a head coach on Eden Park – and it was as good as it gets.
The Chiefs looked dead and buried at halftime after a rampant Blues side had thundered to a 19-5 advantage, with the visitors losing All Blacks props Nepo Laulala and Angus Ta’avao to injury.
But back roared the gallant visitors from just down the road. They were soon back on terms with two quick strikes and in a wonder free-flowing second half it was they who made the crucial plays to eke out a memorable victory.
The Chiefs, with flanker Lachlan Boshier in inspirational form, won the second half 32-10. They simply would not be denied with returning veteran former All Black Aaron Cruden and supersub AntonLienert-Brown playing key roles off the bench in an outstanding performance.
They were all good. Aidan Ross battled manfully up front and was rewarded with a try, Mitch Karpik was into everything and hooker Samisoni Taukeiaho was a terrier. Shaun Stevenson, Sean Wainui and Solomon Alaimalo were dangers with ball in hand.
The Blues are probably still wondering how they lost this one. They were dominant in the first 40, when they put All Black Rieko Ioane over for a brace of tries, but were simply outgunned by a more organised and desperate Chiefs outfit over the run home.
Remarkably, the visitors managed to avoid too many scrums where they had suffered so badly in the opening stanza, and in the end they walked away with the spoils.
The Blues, behind a dominant scrum and a likely attack, had dominated the opening 40 minutes even more emphatically than their 19-5 halftime advantage indicated. Try 348 running metres to just 99 from the visitors. Try 63 per cent possession and 67 territory by the home side. Try 7-1 in clean breaks, 20-5 in defenders beaten and 46-22 in rucks. Most importantly, try 3-1 in five-pointers scored.
For a franchise that has been mired in mediocrity for some time, this was just what their longsuffering fans had been waiting for.
The Blues had dropped four of their last six season-openers, looked a good chance of of a better result in this historically early kickoff to Super Rugby on a warm evening in Auckland.
It was heartening stuff from the Blues who won their last matchup against their closest neighbours, but had been winless in the 15 before that.
The dominant scrum certainly helped. So too did a succession of handling errors from the visitors that kept handing possession to the home side. They did not need a second invitation.
Rugged openside flanker, and
USA World Cup representative, Tom Lamborn opened the scoring at the end of a surging opening quarter of an hour from the Blues, crossing in the 17th minute via a superb support line on a TJ Faiane half break in midfield.
Then the Blues’ man on a mission, reluctant wing Ioane, made two major statements with tries in the 28th and 40th minutes to establish that useful halftime advantage.
Ioane’s first score came on the back of that dominant scrum with the big wing bursting on to a nice inside ball from Stephen Perofeta to just force the ball in the tackle of Stevenson; and the second again via the ground-based set piece when a crisp move saw the big wing able to
Chiefs 37 (Samisoni Taukeiaho 2, Pita Gus Sowakula, Aidan Ross, Solomon Alaimalo tries; Aaron Cruden pen, 3 con, dg) Blues 29 (Tony Lamborn, Rieko Ioane 2, Karl Tu’inukuafe tries; Stephen Perofeta 3 con; Harry Plummer pen). HT: 5-19.
power over in a couple of tackles handy to the posts.
The Chiefs, of course, were not done. Far from it.
Within 11 minutes of the second half they had crossed twice to rattle off 14 quick points, stun the home crowd and level the scores at 19-19. Powerful hooker Taukeiaho, who scored his side’s only first-half try via the lineout drive, doubled his tally after just five minutes of the second spell via a similar avenue.
And when replacement loosie Pita Gus Sowakula powered over soon after a nice break from Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Lienert-Brown and Quinn Tupaea, it was well and truly game back on.
The Blues regained the advantage just shy of the three-quarter mark when big Karl Tu’inukuafe powered over from in close to finish a real forwards’ try; but the advantage was short lived when Chiefs hooker Aidan Ross continued a brilliant night for the front-rowers with a seven-pointer via Lienert-Brown’s break down the right touchline.
From there Alaimalo got his team in front, 31-26, 11 minutes out when he just got the ball down in the left corner after a fabulous wraparound pass from Cruden and pinpoint offload from Shaun Stevenson.
A Cruden dropped goal and penalty sealed the deal.