Tuungafasi from zero to hero for Blues

As unlikely heroes go, burly Blues tighthead prop Ofa Tuungafasi has to be right up there.

If you had your money on a 129kg replacement tighthead, a ground-bound purveyor of power who had been dropped to the bench after an indifferent scrummaging performance in the quarterfinal, racing up like an Olympic sprinter and sailing through the air like an NBA hoopster to make the gameclinching play in a pulsating Super Rugby Pacific semifinal, well you would have earned every cent.

But that’s exactly how it played out as the 30-year-old All Black, in his 120th appearance for the Blues in Saturday night’s matchup against the Brumbies at Eden Park, seized the moment in the 80th minute to clinch a nervejangling 20-19 victory that earned a home final against the Crusaders.

The Blues looked in real trouble, clinging to that one-point advantage as the Brumbies forced a turnover and worked their way into handy field position with time almost up. A penalty would have won it. A dropped goal too.

It was the latter route the Brumbies went as young first fiveeighth Noah Lolesio dropped back into the pocket 40 metres out, in front of the sticks, and prepared to launch the match-winner off his boot.

Tuungafasi, though, saw it all unfolding. He burst out of the blocks as Ryan Lonergan fired the pass to his kicker, and launched himself as high as his tree-trunk legs would carry him. It was Jordan-like in its grace and precision, and its result. A meaty paw deflected Lolesio’s buzzer-beater to safety, and the semifinal was won by the barest of margins.

‘‘It was nearly like theatre with them lining up a droppie on fulltime,’’ noted a relieved Blues coach Leon MacDonald afterwards. ‘‘I was thinking, ‘surely not’. And your tighthead prop gets up off the line and charges it down. They’re just huge those little moments you’re hoping to grab in the big games. We knew it was going to be a fight, and it was.’’

Tuungafasi’s skipper and national team-mate Beauden Barrett reckoned it was not just an inspirational play by his frontrower, but a cerebral one to boot.

‘‘So impressive,’’ nodded the inform No 10 afterwards. ‘‘He’s a very smart player. I don’t know if he was aware of Noah slipping into the pocket, but I wouldn’t be surprised. That’s just Ofa ... very impressive in a moment like that.’’

Just a week earlier Tuungafasi, who had been in fine fettle as the regular starting tighthead over the back half of a remarkable season, had been outplayed at scrum time by rising young Highlanders loosehead Ethan de Groot.

The Blues’ response had been to drop the big boppa to the bench for the semi and replace him with All Blacks team-mate Nepo Laulala.

It was an inspired decision. Laulala uncorked a scrummaging masterclass that laid an important foundation for the 20-7 halftime lead that would prove just enough to get the home team up to a record 15th consecutive win this season.

But Tuungafasi’s presence, quick thinking and athleticism was there where it needed to be at the finish. When the game – the season – went on the line, Ofa got up off the ground, and positively soared.