Win puts Blues safe at home
The Blues have secured a home final against the Waratahs next week with a clunky 16-9 win against the Highlanders, but they were made to fight all the way against the desperate southerners.
Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession and territory, the Blues were wasteful in attack in an Eden Park performance last night that did not suggest they could win the Super Rugby Pacific title.
In fact, the Blues failed to register a point in the second half and finished with their scrum in reverse as replacement Highlanders prop Saula Ma’u again enhanced his credentials.
However, the Highlanders’ defeat means they need the Rebels, Fijian Drua and Western Force all to lose over the weekend to keep them in a playoffs berth.
In a possible blow for the Blues’ finals hopes, Caleb Clarke was replaced in the third quarter with what appeared to be a hamstring issue.
But they appear to have bigger issues to resolve before the visit of the Waratahs.
The Highlanders were forced into an extraordinary number of tackles, and they also survived a 10-minute period in the second half when prop Jermaine Ainsley was in the sin bin due to repeated scrum infringements.
Early ill discipline from the Blues prevented them from finding any rhythm and clearly frustrated coach Leon MacDonald in the coaching box.
The Highlanders also turned up with a plan to exert pressure on the Blues with their kicking game, and they enjoyed some success.
Lock Pari Pari Parkinson and prop Jermaine Ainsley led a committed defensive effort from the visitors, while the Highlanders also won a number of crucial breakdown penalties.
However, tackling Telea is a bit like trying to wrap your arms around water at the moment, and the in-form Blues No 14 threatened to cut loose with a number of jinking runs and offloads.
The Blues’ big men then got
involved with some strong carries off No 9 Finlay Christie, and it was no surprise than Patrick Tuipulotu crossed the line for the opening try after 28 minutes.
Three penalties by Harry Plummer gave the Blues a 16-6 halftime lead as they shifted into a final mentality one week ahead of schedule.
The second half, however, was a real grind as Stephen Perofeta looked rusty in the No 10 jersey, and the Blues couldn’t break down the Highlanders’ relentless defence.
The big moment
Rieko Ioane saved a try for the Blues
in the second half by showing blistering pace to beat Freddie Burns to the ball in the in-goal, and he even had the audacity to spark a counterattack from behind his own goalposts.
MVP
Telea was were dangerous when given space and Tuipulotu carried
the ball forward all night. Veteran tighthead Nepo Lauala also deserves plenty of credit for an impressive showing. He was typically strong at scrum time and prominent around the paddock, getting plenty of touches of the ball. However, Rieko Ioane was the Blues’ best, showcasing his pace on attack and defence.
For the Highlanders, captain Billy Harmon typified the Highlanders’ fighting spirit with another outstanding performance.
Match rating
7/10.
If you like scrums, this would have been a 10/10. However, the fans who turned up to watch the Blues’ backs would have been disappointed by their disjointed attack.
The big picture
The Blues will be sweating on the return of Beauden Barrett to give the backline some direction after they appeared to get flustered by the Highlanders line speed.
For the Highlanders, it was a loss that showed the fight in their group but also showed how they underperformed in costly earlier losses to the Force and Waratahs in Australia.