Swings and roundabouts. Last round the rugby gods frowned on the Blues, this one they positively beamed down upon them as Leon MacDonald’s men scraped out a 24-22 victory over the Chiefs to open their account in Super Rugby Pacific, and ruin Brad Weber’s 100th game for the franchise.
But it was a closely run thing, with the Blues relying on an 80th-minute penalty miss by Bryn Gatland to secure the victory. The hosts came within a whisker of coughing up a lead at the finish for the second week in a row after a pair of Tom Robinson penalties gave the Chiefs a reasonably handy shot from around 40 metres out.
However Gatland’s attempt drifted wide, and the Blues were able to walk off with their first victory of the season and four important competition points. They got there via Mark Telea’s 76th-minute try off a nicely executed backline move that saw the outstanding Stephen Perofeta put his wing over wide out with a beautifully judged draw and pass.
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Even then the home side still needed Perofeta to nail a clutch sideline conversion to put their noses in front.
The Blues did some good things, got another strong shift out of hooker Kurt Eklund, a useful display from No 8 Hoskins Sotutu and put Perofeta, Caleb Clarke and Telea in the right positions to show their skills.
The Chiefs probably deserved better. They were led by a standout display from No.8 Pita Gus Sowakula, Etene Nanai-Seturo was a constant danger on attack, while Weber put in an excellent 63-minute shift in his 100th match for the franchise, nabbing two very well-taken tries and generally shading the halfback battle against fellow All Black Fin Christie as he ran for 60 metres on six carries with a trio of defenders beaten.
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The Chiefs did well to take a 12-10 led into the sheds after soaking up plenty of pressure through the first 40, and hitting back with an opportunist kick-chase try to Weber and a quality strike by the slick Nanai-Seturo in reply to a power finish from Clarke for the hosts.
It was a willing first half from both sides, with the Chiefs looking dangerous on occasions and forcing a dozen missed tackles from the Blues, and the home side also creating plenty of chances, and perhaps guilty of failing to nail the key passes.
The Blues had their issues containing the strong-running Sowakula and Samisoni Taukei’aho, and found Sam Cane a constant menace in the tackle, while Clarke’s 58 first-half metres underlined his status as the danger man of the Blues attack.
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The Blues brought Beauden Barrett into the game for the start of the second spell, the All Blacks playmaker replacing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (shoulder injury) and Harry Plummer shifting out to second five-eighths.
But they still largely struggled for fluency as they got in front via Sotutu’s early score but then found themselves playing catchup after Weber’s second touchdown put the Chiefs in the box seat. Then came the big finish, and this week the bounce of the ball went the Blues’ way.
The big moment
It was no gimme, but Gatland’s late penalty miss was a Get Out of Jail pass for the Blues as a pair of Tom Robinson penalties gifted them a chance to steal the game. No wonder Robinson was so happy when the shot sailed wide.
Match rating
8 out of 10. An excellent contest between two teams with a willingness to attack with ball in hand produced a solid spectacle, and nailbiting finish. Skill execution held the Blues back somewhat, but the Chiefs rode their momentum well and all but stole the contest at the death.
The big picture
This was a result that meant more to the Blues than the Chiefs. An 0-2 start would have been a horror show for MacDonald’s men. As it is both teams are now 1-1 from two matches, with plenty still to work on.
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MVP
Pita Gus Sowakula. The strong-carrying No.8 had a massive match and time and again got his team on the front foot with his mix of power and precision.
Scoring details
Blues 24 (Caleb Clarke try 23 min, Hoskins Sotutu try 46 min, Mark Telea try 76 min; Harry Plummer pen 2 con, Stephen Perofeta con)
Chiefs 22 (Brad Weber 2 tries 7 min, 52 min, Etene Nanai-Seturo try 19 min; Josh Ioane con; Bryn Gatland pen, con). HT: 10-12
Yellow card: Caleb Clarke 50 min
– This article originally appeared on stuff.co.nz and is reproduced with permission