The Chiefs hit back in the second half to beat the Blues 27-21 in Auckland. JON CARDINELLI reports.
The Blues will lament another poor second-half performance. They led 14-10 at half-time, but were overtaken in the early stages of the second stanza by a more determined and physical Chiefs side.
The result sees the Blues suffering their 12th straight loss to a fellow New Zealand opponent. They’ve also gone 13 games now without a win against the Chiefs.
The game never wanted for excitement or physicality. Both sets of players were breathing heavily at the end of a fast-paced first half. Many were left clutching at their ribs after copping some brutal hits at the collisions and rucks.
Neither side was especially clinical, though. The Chiefs’ defence was exposed twice in the early stages. Augustine Pulu powered through from close range to score the game’s first points. Akira Ioane went on a destructive run thereafter, handing off five players en route to the tryline.
Then the Blues lapsed to let the Chiefs back into the game. Sean Wainui bumped off his opposite number Matt Duffie to score a morale-boosting try in the corner.
For a time, it appeared as if the wayward kicking of Damian McKenzie may cost the Chiefs dearly. McKenzie missed three goal attempts – and the opportunity to add a total of seven points in the first half. Thanks to those misses, the Blues held a 14-10 lead at the break.
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The visitors moved up a gear immediately. The Blues did well to stop the Chiefs’ initial surge, but their inability to clear and secure the ball at the lineout handed the opposition further opportunities to build momentum.
After nearly eight minutes in Blues territory, the Chiefs set the maul and powered through the defence to score. This time, McKenzie made no mistake with the conversion.
The Chiefs took control when they added their fourth try two minutes later. Melani Nanai forced a loose pass, and Brad Weber managed to collect the ball and race away to score. McKenzie’s ensuing conversion from the touchline was a beauty, and ensured that the visitors moved into an important 10-point lead.
When the Blues conceded a penalty in the 56th minute, Chiefs skipper Sam Cane pointed to the posts. McKenzie bisected the uprights to extend the visitors’ advantage.
Bryn Gatland hit back for the hosts thereafter, and converted his own try. That seven-pointer set up a tense final 19 minutes.
The Chiefs started to make mistakes at crucial moments. A knock on at a lineout deep in their own territory handed possession back to the Blues. The hosts powered forward and were stopped a couple of metres from the tryline.
The Chiefs came up with the big play, and forced the turnover. The visitors continued to make errors thereafter, but so too did the Blues.
The hosts had a chance to win the game after the final hooter, but the feed to the lineout on the Chiefs’ tryline was not straight. In the end, the Chiefs managed to hang on for the victory and extend their excellent record against their rivals from Auckland.
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Blues – Tries: Augustine Pulu, Akira Ioane, Bryn Gatland. Conversions: Gatland (3).
Chiefs – Tries: Taleni Seu, Sean Wainui, Sam Cane, Brad Weber. Conversions: Damian McKenzie (2). Penalty: McKenzie.
Blues – 15 Melani Nanai, 14 Matt Duffie, 13 George Moala, 12 TJ Faiane, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Bryn Gatland, 9 Augustine Pulu (c), 8 Akira Ioane, 7 Murphy Taramai, 6 Jimmy Tupou, 5 Scott Scrafton, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 2 James Parsons, 1 Pauliasi Manu.
Subs: 16 Leni Apisai, 17 Alex Hodgman, 18 Michael Tamoaieta, 19 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20 Jerome Kaino, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 23 Michael Collins.
Chiefs – 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Johnny Faauli, 11 Solomon Alaimalo, 10 Tiaan Falcon, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Taleni Seu, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Michael Allardice, 4 Mitchell Brown, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Aidan Ross.
Subs: 16 Liam Polwart, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Luke Jacobson, 20 Lachlan Boshier, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Tyler Ardron, 23 Declan O’Donnell.
Photo: Dave Rowland/Getty Images
