Same old Blues fluff lines again
Watching the Blues fluff chance after chance against the Crusaders was as Groundhog Day as it gets.
Just three weeks into the season and there’s already an all too familiar feeling engulfing tortured Blues fans, who endured a staggering 11th consecutive defeat to the red-and-blacks to start the round.
They were the only New Zealand Super Rugby side not to bank a third-round win, and must now depart for a two-week tour of South Africa, where they will face the Bulls and second-placed Stormers.
Having lost twice at Eden Park in their first three games, their long-standing inability to defeat fellow Kiwi sides – they’ve lost 26 of their last 29 derbies – continues to haunt them.
Head coach Leon MacDonald is only a shade over a season into the gig and already you could fill a Bluray disc with shots of of him agonising in the coaching box. And who could blame him?
The Blues were wasteful against the Crusaders in their 25-8 defeat, a match in which they had ample possession and territory, and outgunned the visitors by almost 150 metres.
But they badly lacked ideas on attack, particularly inside the red zone, and looked likely only in broken play as the reigning champions repeatedly rebuffed their raids and forced blunders.
There was also plenty of unforced errors, highlighted by replacement first-five Harry Plummer wasting a penalty by spraying the attempted touchfinder out in-goal.
Forced to make a whopping 212 tackles – more than 100 more than the Blues – the Crusaders’ defence was outstanding, led by young flankers Tom Christie and rookie Cullen Grace.
Now 2-1 and back on track after slipping up against the Chiefs last week, the Crusaders will put their 32-match unbeaten streak at home on the line against the Highlanders on Friday night, when they play at their Christchurch fortress for the first time since last year’s final.
The Highlanders will arrive in the Garden City energised by their last-gasp 23-22 win against the Brumbies in Canberra, where the Brumbies were on a 10-match streak. The Dunedin-based side was oh so close to a miserable 0-2 hole, but rookie No 8 Teariki Ben-Nicholas bashed over in the 83rd minute to snag four crucial points.
The Brumbies only have themselves to blame. How often do you see teams attempt to grind out the final two minutes of a game with the pick-and-go, only to seal off the ruck and gift the opposition a chance to steal it?
Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger, and attack coach Tony Brown, will need to find a way to generate more on attack next week if they’re to have a sniff in the South Island derby.
Before the matchwinner, they struggled to create chances and relied on a fortuitous bounce from a Jona Nareki charge-down for their only other fivepointer.
The Brumbies must now head to Hamilton to face the table-topping Chiefs, who didn’t have it all their way against the Sunwolves in Tokyo but still managed a 43-17 bonus-point win.
Coach Warren Gatland will take it, particularly given he rested All Blacks Anton Lienert-Brown and captain Sam Cane and first-five eighth Aaron Cruden.
Along with the Stormers, who scored a brilliant try through midfielder Ruhan Nel a couple of minutes after the hooter to stuff the Lions 33-30 in Johannesburg on Sunday morning, the Chiefs are one of only two unbeaten teams.
The Chiefs are getting plenty of kudos for their start, something the Hurricanes deserve after their 38-22 win against the previously unbeaten Sharks in Wellington on Saturday.
Criticism of the ‘Canes was fair after they were blanked 27-0 by the Stormers in round one, but the men from the capital have since bounced back with two impressive wins, ensuring their fourth-round bye is an enjoyable week off before they host the Sunwolves.
Elsewhere, the Rebels got off the mark with an ugly 24-10 win against the winless Waratahs, one of two Aussie teams without a win after a Julian Montoya hat-trick inspired the fast-finishing Jaguares to a flattering 43-27 win against the Reds in Buenos Aires yesterday.