Blues denied top spot by late Chiefs try despite claiming victory at Eden Park
Blues number eight Hoskins Sotutu.
The Blues ended the league phase of Super Rugby Pacific with a 31-17 victory over the Chiefs at Eden Park on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to move above the Hurricanes on the final Super Rugby Pacific table.
The home side needed a bonus-point win to finish ahead of the Hurricanes in the final standings for the league phase of the competition – after the Wellington based-outfit beat the Highlanders convincingly earlier on Saturday – and they were on course to achieve that goal, until Josh Ioane scored a try in the game’s dying moments to deny their hosts top spot.
In a fast-paced and entertaining game, the Blues held the upper-hand for long periods with Hoskins Sotutu leading the way bagging a brace of tries with Ricky Riccitelli, Mark Tele’a and Akira Ioane also crossing the whitewash for the hosts while Harry Plummer added three conversions.
Aidan Ross, Quinn Tupaea and Ioane scored the Chiefs‘ tries while Damian McKenzie succeeded with one conversion.
Click here for scorers
The Chiefs were fastest out of the blocks and thought they had made the perfect start when Etene Nanai-Seturo crossed the whitewash in the first minute after a brilliant line break from Bradley Slater in the build-up. However, the try was disallowed after television replays revealed that Ross had impeded Riccitelli while he was trying to tackle Slater.
The Blues soon took control of proceedings and in the ninth minute they opened the scoring when Riccitelli crossed for a try off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Chiefs territory.
10 minutes later, the visitors were reduced to 14 men when Ross was yellow carded for straying offside on defence and shortly afterwards the Blues increased their lead when Sotutu crossed for his first try after good work from Dalton Papali’i in the build-up.
The Blues continued to dominate as the half progressed but the Chiefs gained the initiative in the 36th minute when Sotutu received a yellow carded for taking McKenzie out off the ball.
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Ross then burrowed his way over the try-line from close quarters with McKenzie adding the extras which meant the match was evenly poised at half-time.
The Blues were fastest out of the blocks after the break with Tele’a dotting down from close quarters in the 43rd minute and 10 minutes later Sotutu crossed the whitewash again off the back of a powerful scrum from his side on the Chiefs’ five-metre line.
That try gave the Blues plenty of confidence and in the 64th minute they increased their lead when Ioane powered his way over the try-line to give his side comfortable a 31-7 lead.
That try secured the win for the Blues but they needed to keep the Chiefs at bay in the final 15 minutes to hold onto their bonus-point for scoring three or more tries than their opponents.
It wasn’t to be, however, as Tupaea scored his try shortly afterwards before the Chiefs launched an attack from a scrum on the Blues’ five-metre line and Ioane rounded off out wide in the 80th minute.
That meant the Hurricanes secured top spot on the Super Rugby Pacific table as they finished one point ahead of the Blues.
The teams
Blues: 15 Cole Forbes, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 AJ Lam, 12 Harry Plumer, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Joshua Fusitu’a, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Cameron Suafoa, 20 Adrian Choat, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Corey Evans, 23 Caleb Tangitau
Chiefs: 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 14 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 13 Daniel Rona, 12 Rameka Poihipi, 11 Peniasi Malimali, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Luke Jacobson (c), 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Jimmy Tupou, 4 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 3 George Dyer, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Sione Ahio, 19 Simon Parker, 20 Kaylum Boshier, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Quinn Tupaea
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Stu Curran (New Zealand), Jackson Henshaw (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)