Buoyant Blues shrug off Hurricanes comparisons
Blues coach Vern Cotter listened to the question, wrinkled up his face and waved a dismissive hand. Right now, the veteran mentor doesn’t want to know about the storyline that has his team tracking the Hurricanes at every step in an engaging Super Rugby Pacific championship race.
“Nah, nah, nah,” Cotter tells Stuff after a record-breaking 46-7 victory over the ACT Brumbies at Eden Park on Saturday night. “That makes a good story, but we’re just focused on ourselves, and we play them when we come back from [a fortnight in] Australia. We can use those two games (at the Reds and Rebels) to get better and see if we can get to their level. They are out in front and setting the level you need to get to and we’ll work away quietly, see if we can get there and we get a bit of a test in three weeks’ time.”
For all Cotter’s steely focus on the task at hand, there is very much an “anything they can do, we can do too” theme playing out at the pointy end of SRP. On Friday night the Canes became the first team to topple the Drua in Fiji this season when they extended their season-long win streak to eight; 24 hours later the Blues posted their biggest ever win against a Brumbies side that had also won six of seven heading in.
As impressive as the Hurricanes had been, hardly missing a beat despite a bevy of changes, there was a lot to like about the Blues, too, as they dismantled the Brumbies. They ran for 599 metres (to 213), had 71% possession, beat 24 defenders (to 4), out-mauled the masters with a pair of lineout-drive tries among seven five-pointers and forced their opponents to make 207 tackles.
Brumbies coach Stepehn Larkham, whose team hosts the Canes in the Aussie capital on Saturday, did not shy away from comparisons between the competition’s top two teams when he assessed a good old-fashioned licking.
“They were up top of the ladder for a reason – even going back to the game they played against the Hurricanes (won 29-21 by Clark Laidlaw’s men), it was a pretty good performance from the Blues. The Hurricanes got lucky with a couple of tries. That’s our challenge now – we’ve got to move on from this one quickly, and learn a few things.
“The Hurricanes are just as dangerous on attack – probably a little more so. The Blues are very powerful and run over the top of you; the Hurricanes can do that as well, and they’ve also got a bit of skill and a few trick plays. There’s an equally big challenge this week.”
Asked if he saw anything different about the Blues under Cotter, Larkham noted: “They were good last year as well. There’s good continuity in the playing group. Their maul was good tonight … when they had opportunities close to our line they were dominant and that’s something Vern would drive heavily.
“It’s very similar to what the Blues showed last year – very clinical, big, powerful, strong athletes, and a lot of detail around their game. They’re another year better because the combinations are stronger.”
Cotter conceded there was a lot to like about a “constructed” performance. His team absorbed an early yellow card (winning the period 7-0) and dominated the visitors in the contact areas and wider channels. The forwards muscled up, the backs charged through holes and the performance had a complete look about it.
“By being direct and purposeful about our carries and what we were doing, the team was together, and connected. There was no stress about what we were doing, and it was clear. They rolled their sleeves up and got through the job.”
Their big names had big games. Caleb Clarke and Mark Tele’a flexed their disparate skills out wide, Dalton Papali’i and two-try Hoskins Sotutu were dominant in the loose, and Patrick Tuipulotu and Laghlan McWhannell excelled in the engine room.
Even the lesser-knows shone, with understudies Taufa Funaki and Harry Plummer outstanding in the halves.
“I can see confidence growing,” added Cotter. “That’s important. But it’s also important we park this one. We are going away for two games, and it’s about adapting to each situation, each team and preparing well. We just need to keep putting good things on top of good things. Nothing changes.”
Next stop for a Blues team that has won five on the bounce and seven of their last eight is the Reds in Brisbane next Saturday. Then it’s the Rebels in Melbourne, before the return clash against the Canes at Eden Park on May 11. Circle that one on your calendars.