Blues player ratings: Embarrassing display from Leon MacDonald’s charges as they are hammered by arch-rivals Crusaders

Colin Newboult

16 Jun 2023 10:00 AM

Following a heavy 52-15 defeat to the Crusaders in their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final in Christchurch on Friday, here are the player ratings for the Blues.

15 Zarn Sullivan: Not necessarily his fault, but never really a factor in the game as the hosts dominated. 5

14 Mark Telea: Quite the time to produce easily your worst performance of the campaign. Had a dreadful start, which included two bad reads in defence that led to Crusaders’ tries and a poor off-load. 3

13 Rieko Ioane: Tried hard and was one of the Blues’ better players in attack, but he and Bryce Heem really struggled defensively. 4

12 Bryce Heem: Missed three tackles as the Crusaders continually exposed their outside channels. Carried hard, but it was a tough day at the office. 4

11 Caleb Clarke: Anonymous, apart from one time, he was set free down the left, as well as his try. The Crusaders had less success down his channel, so deserves some credit for that. We are, however, clutching at straws somewhat. 4

10 Beauden Barrett: You can’t win a match at this level without a functioning kicking game, and Barrett rarely put boot to ball in the first half, which was strange. With ball in hand, he made some good decisions and was easily their best attacker, especially in the second period, while he wasn’t helped by his forward pack, who were bested in most facets. 5

9 Finlay Christie: See Barrett in terms of his kicking game. You would hope that part of it was down to the instructions of the coaches but, if not, then it was a very naive tactical display for a Super Rugby semi-final. 3

Pack badly beaten up

8 Hoskins Sotutu: A wonderfully talented player who tends to go missing in big games. It is perhaps why he has not yet made the breakthrough at international level yet as he had no impact here. 3

7 Dalton Papalii (c): Made some great incursions in the wider channels but was absent elsewhere. 5

6 Akira Ioane: The Blues’ best defender, although that’s not saying a whole lot. Was manful in defeat but, like his team-mates, was generally sent backwards at close quarters. 5

5 James Tucker: Their set-piece was the only thing that didn’t go terribly, albeit they still managed to lose three lineouts on their own ball. 4

4 Tom Robinson: Usually a ubiquitous presence but was overwhelmed by the Crusaders in Christchurch. Was barely noticed until the second half, when he did a few good things. 4

3 Nepo Laulala: The scrum wasn’t particularly a factor, but his work around the field was sadly lacking. Turned over a couple of times. 3

2 Ricky Riccitelli: Set-piece work was okay, and he made his tackles, but Riccitelli was physically bested by the Crusaders. 4

1 Ofa Tuungafasi: Like Laulala, held up his side of the scrum. He did contribute more than his propping partner in the loose, but not by much. 4

Replacements: Scored a couple of tries after making the altered but not much really changed in the performance as they exited at the semi-final stage. The Crusaders were dominant throughout the 80 minutes. 4

Blues