Blues breeze past Chiefs

The Blues started their assault on the Super 14 competition with a convincing 32-14 victory over the Chiefs in a frenetic encounter in Auckland on Saturday.

The Blues started their assault on the Super 14 competition with a convincing 32-14 victory over the Chiefs in a frenetic encounter in Auckland on Saturday.

The Eden Park crowd were treated to four sparkling tries from the home team, with only a Mils Muliaina score in reply for the Chiefs.

This was it. This was what the law changes intended – skilful rugby players running with the ball. It produced a match of thrilling movement.

It did not start that way. It started with bumbling and erratic handling in the night air at Eden Park, but it was almost as if that first half was just the warm-up for better things to come in the second half, and better things came alright – at least for the Blues who literally ran away with the Chiefs.

The Chiefs actually led 11-8 at half-time and were in the game. They had had their share of chances – aN Isa Nacewa just beating Mils Muliaina to the touch down after a long grubber, a searing break by Donald, a strong run by mustachioed Sitiveni Sivivatu and three missed kicks at goal by Donald.

But there were also signs of weakness already. Their scrum buckled easily and the Blues loose forwards looked more effective.

There were in that half only four line-outs. The teams kicked less often than some others did this weekend!

After Donald had missed a penalty attempt, the Blues attacked. They tapped a free kick and Isa Nacewa was there to set them running – up from fullback on a night when he ran more metres than he kicked. They went right. Jerome Kaino was just short and then veteran Danny Lee, playing his fiftieth Super rugby match for his fourth franchise, nipped over at the ankles of the Chiefs big men. 5-0 after four minutes.

Donald then goaled a more difficult penalty than the one he had missed and then a second. Both penalties were for going in at the side. (The Blues were penalised five times for doing this in the match.) That second penalty gave the Chiefs a 6-5 lead after 14 minutes but then Muliaina went off-side and Nick Evans goaled. 8-6 after 25 minutes.

There was a wonderful passage of play late in the second half after a Donald penalty had bounced back off the upright. Evans went skating off on a long run and then Sivivatu came bounding back. The Blues countered and then Donald cut them to pieces. He gave to Leonard who stumbled close. The Blues conceded a free kick at the tackle on Leonard and Muliaina scored. Donald's kick again went away off the upright. 11-8, which was the half-time score.

The Chiefs started as if they were whooping their way to victory. Leonard was tackled out at the corner, Muliaina countered from his own line, Leonard ran in counter and Donald cut in with many men to his left. Then the Chiefs started losing it.

from a turnover Joe Rokocoko pounded down the left touch-line, beating two. Muliaina dashed back on defence and dived to tackle big Joe. As he dived in Rokocoko tried to pass and Muliaina's hand knocked the ball back into the in-goal where, in a scramble for the ball, Troy Flavell was first to it to score the try, getting there by some miraculous means. Evans converted from far out. 15-11.

A Donald penalty made it 15-14 after 54 minutes but then came the first of two tries from scrums as the Blues used the space provided by the law change.

The scrum was on the left. The ball went to Evans going right. He gave to Benson Stanley who looked static till he turned the ball inside to Rokocoko coming in from the left wing. Rokocoko handed off Lauaki with great ease and dived over under the posts. Evans converted. 22-14.

It was not the only tackle the Chiefs missed in the game. By the final whistle they had missed 32 tackles.

Nacewa raced down the left and grubbered ahead but Leonard scampered back and carried the ball into touch at the corner. The Chiefs held out the maul from the five-metre line-out.

Then young lock Kurtis Haiu raced down the left and from there the ball went wide right. By this time the Chiefs were getting their air in gulps.

Evans kicked a penalty and then the Blues came back and again used a well-worked move from a scrum to score their bonus-point try.

The scrum was slightly to the left and they split their backs with Evans on the left. The ball went from Kaino in the number eight position, to replacement half Taniela Moa. Moa gave to Nacewa who was up in the line. Nacewa dummied and beat Tanerau Latimer before giving to Ben Atiga who had just come onto the field. Atiga swerved his way over for a try at the posts which delighted the Blues.

Attacking and scoring makes you less tired than defending and losing. By this stage the Chiefs looked out on their feet.

Eden Park was especially fast for this match as there had been a one-day cricket international the day before, and the English team came back to watch the Super 14 match. It was certainly worth watching.

Man of the Match: There were good candidates in Mils Muliaina of the Chiefs and Troy Flavell, Jerome Kaino and Nick Evans of the Blues but out choice is Isa Nacewa who played with so much skill, elan and joy. He played with a smile.

Moment of the Match: Both tries from scrums are worth recording, for the smoothness of their execution and for the potential they show in the law change but for us it was the sight of Kurtis Haiu racing down the left wing.

Villain of the Match: Nobody really though a Blue or two was silly.

The scorers:

For the Blues:
Tries: Lee, Flavell, Rokocoko, Atiga
Cons: Evans 3
Pens: Evans 2

For the Chiefs:
Try: Muliaina
Pen: Donald 3

Teams:

Blues: 15 Isa Nacewa, 14 Anthony Tuitavake, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Lee, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Justin Collins, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Troy Flavell (captain), 4 Kurtis Haiu, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Tom McCartney, 17 Nick White, 18 Anthony Boric, 19 Onosa'i Tololima-Auva'a, 20 Taniela Moa, 21 Ben Atiga, 22 Rudi Wulf.

Chiefs: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Sosene Anesi, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Callum Bruce, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jamie Nutbrown, 8 Sione Lauaki, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Kevin O'Neill, 4 Jono Gibbes (captain), 3 Ben Castle, 2 Tom Willis, 1 Simms Davison
Replacements: 16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Ben May, 18 Kristian Ormsby, 19 Hayden Hopgood, 20 Brendon Leonard/David Bason, 21 Dwayne Sweeney, 22 Lelia Masaga

Referee: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
Television match official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
Assessor: Kim Eichmann (New Zealand)