Two from two
Blues a class above struggling Aussies
Two weeks into the Super Rugby Transtasman competition, and on the face of successive commanding victories, the Blues could be considered genuine title contenders.
The true test of their credentials, though, won’t be revealed for a week.
Ninety-eight points and 13 tries in two weeks is hard to scoff at, yet it says everything about the dramatic drop in opposition from Super Rugby Aotearoa.
In many ways, the comfortable victory over the Waratahs at Eden Park yesterday was a step back.
The context surrounding this match was the Blues starting $1.01 favourites. The Waratahs were at $21, such is the dire nature of their nosediving campaign.
The 10th consecutive loss for the Waratahs this season is a franchise record and while this effort represented an improvement in some regards on last weekend’s 64-48 defeat to the Hurricanes in Sydney, they were still well off the pace. With three more Kiwi matches to come, the Crusaders next, there’s no let-up.
For the Blues, their performance was a drop-off in terms of attacking execution, lineout accuracy and defence on last week’s 50-3 rout over the Rebels in Melbourne.
Blues coach Leon MacDonald gave his side a C+ grade.
“The challenge in a game like this is when everybody is expecting you to win, how do you bring that edge? That’s something we wanted to try and achieve, and I don’t think we nailed that, which is disappointing,” MacDonald said.
Welcoming Patrick Tuipulotu and Dalton Papalii back off the bench from significant injuries should provide the Blues an added edge, too.
Two bonus-point victories leave the Blues well placed for a tilt at the transtasman title. They have, however, played the two worst Australian teams and will get a better gauge when they play the Brumbies at Eden Park on Saturday.
“I’ve been really impressed with
the Brumbies, they’re a really strong team and we’re going to have to be better,” MacDonald said.
“Things get serious now — we’ve got the Brumbies at home, Reds away and the Force. You’d say they’re the three best teams to come home. We’ve got to keep improving and be better. I can guarantee some New Zealand teams are going to lose some games and we’ve got to make sure it’s not us.”
Other than their dominant rolling maul, Bryce Heem’s hat-trick was the standout for the Blues. The former New Zealand sevens representative
is enjoying his homecoming after returning from France this season — running for 181 metres against the Waratahs. Stand-in skipper Tom Robinson also continues to impress from blindside.
The Blues led 22-14 at halftime and only really kicked clear after Tahs hooker Harry Johnson-Holmes was yellow-carded for collapsing a maul in the 57th minute. To that point, the visitors were much more competitive than anyone expected.
From the next play, the Blues claimed a penalty try from a dominant scrum and eventually piled on seven tries to three to leave the 14,000 crowd entertained.
It was a different story at halftime, though, when MacDonald must have given his team a spray after watching them blow several try-scoring chances to constantly invite the visitors back into the match.
The Blues led 8-0 in as many minutes after Heem, a standout on the right wing, claimed the opening try but their execution then fell off.
First, the Blues botched a lineout five metres out from the Tahs line; Akira Ioane then made a brilliant break and linked with Blake Gibson, only for the ball to be spilt at the attacking ruck.
Rieko Ioane and Heem combined on the counter from their own line but TJ Faiane kicked the ball dead in-goal searching for a one-play try.
In between, the Blues made two sloppy errors at the back of their maul.
Despite reshuffling their backline late and losing starting lock Max Douglas and second five-eighth Lalakai Foketi to injury in the first quarter, the Tahs seized on these repeated Blues mistakes to hit back with a double strike.
Prop Angus Bell strolled through a gaping hole — past Finlay Christie and Gibson — to give the Tahs a fighting chance, and when Wallabies halfback Jake Gordon got his timing perfect to pinch a 48-metre intercept, the battling Sydney side moved within a point of the Blues.
Blues hooker Kurt Eklund’s try from a driving maul edged the hosts clear at the break but it was far from convincing.
The Blues eventually got their act together in the second half. Despite their dominant result, the review will reveal plenty to improve if they are to make good on their promise to seek redemption and chase silverware.
Blues 48 (Bryce Heem 3, Tom Robinson, Kurt Eklund, Rieko Ioane tries, penalty try; Otere Black 4 cons, pen) Waratahs 21 (Angus Bell, Jake Gordon, David Porecki tries; Will Harrison 3 cons). HT: 22-14.