Blues player Caleb Clarke. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Review - It wasn't pretty, but it's highly unlikely the Blues are complaining. Saturday night's 26-6 win was their first at Eden Park over the Crusaders in 10 long, painful years, but they did it the hard way after an eyeball-aching first half and slightly more watchable second. Vern Cotter's side have now put together two games in a row that aren't exactly going to go down in history as the most aesthetically pleasing, but being on the right side of the results has meant they're now up to second equal on the table.
The Crusaders, on the other hand, would have finished the game relieved that they're at least not dead last in Super Rugby Pacific. But only a couple of hours later they couldn't even claim that, thanks to the lowly Force pulling off an upset over the Reds in Perth.
The nine lost lineouts will be a close second, but the way the Blues ground the Crusaders down in difficult conditions is probably the most painful part of the defeat. That's what the Crusaders have done for so long to teams that show up thinking they'd figured it all out, only to realise that they'd inadvertently strapped themselves into a torture rack with the likes of Scott Robertson and Richie Mo'unga turning the screws. That's what the Blues found out in the Super Rugby Aotearoa final in 2021, what the Chiefs did last year in the last stages of their final defeat.
It was apparent in the first half, after Dalton Papali'i's sin binning, that things weren't working for the Crusaders. The Blues had gifted them three penalties in a row and a one-man advantage and they couldn't convert, but hung in there to only trail by three at the break.
Photo: Photosport / Andrew Cornaga
It was the one-two punch of Ofa Tu'ungafasi and AJ Lam's tries that killed them off early in the second half - again, the sort of thing the Crusaders are known for doing to other teams in big games.
The Crusaders really got a taste of their own, horrible medicine in this game, which is why it probably stings just that much more.
Ref chats, Drua leave it late and the Chiefs get it done
It turns out you can interview refs in Super Rugby - if you ask nicely. Ben O'Keeffe was happy to chat post-match about the Blues v Crusaders game, answering questions about the three yellow cards and communication with the captains.
Friday night saw the Hurricanes and Rebels combine for a truly old school score line: 54-28 at the birthplace of Super 12, the Palmerston North Showgrounds. The Canes now sit comfortably on top of the table, they have two derby matches in a row next against the Highlanders and Chiefs though.
The Drua got home against the Waratahs 39-36 thanks to an Iosefo Masi hat trick and a golden point dropped goal by Kemu Valetini in Lautoka. The Tahs put up an excellent effort to come back from being 26-10 down and were finishing stronger, but unfortunately Tane Edmed's attempt at a winner looked about as aerodynamic as a drunk being tossed out of a bar at 2am.
The Chiefs' 28-21 win ended with the Highlanders on attack and searching for a game-levelling try. The Chiefs really did switch off in the last 15 minutes or so, giving the Highlanders way too many chances to stay in touch. That's the second time this season Clayton McMillan's side has let a team come back from a big deficit this season, which is surely something he'll be reminding them of next week at training.
Hopefully the Brumbies' 60-21 demolition of Moana Pasifika is more a blip than an alarm bell for Tana Umaga's side. It's the sort of result they had seen plenty of times in the last two seasons but had managed to avoid in 2024 till now. Next weekend is a big one, they face the Blues at Eden Park in what is officially their home game - a novelty that will no doubt wear off pretty quick for the team that usually resides there.
