Blues player ratings: Rieko Ioane ‘largely anonymous’ as All Blacks hopeful makes ‘costly’ errors in disappointing defeat
Our Blues player ratings from the defeat to the Crusaders in the Super Rugby Pacific semi-final.
Following their 21-14 loss to the Crusaders, here’s how we rated the now former Super Rugby Pacific champions in Christchurch.
Blues player ratings v Crusaders
15 Zarn Sullivan: Sensational hands led to Tele’a’s score while he made good metres running back at the Crusaders’ defence. Overall, a tidy outing. 7
14 Mark Tele’a: Scored on what proved to be his final game for the Blues before his move to Japan. He also assisted another score and was strong without the ball, too. One of the Blues players who really rose to the challenge and did his utmost to keep the title defence alive. He will be disappointed that his time in Auckland ends in defeat, but bowed out with a great performance. 8
13 Rieko Ioane: Thundered over the line for a crucial score in the first half, and while he was good defensively, he was largely anonymous for the Blues in the second half. 6
12 AJ Lam: Caused some trouble for the Crusaders’ backfield with clever kicks from the backfield and made the tackles asked of him. Struggled on the attack to gain much ground with his impact limited by the Crusaders’ defence. 5
11 Caleb Clarke: Like his fellow winger, he went searching for work and was rewarded with two turnovers for his efforts. He was decent under the high ball and made all nine of his tackle attempts. 7
10 Beauden Barrett: Another tactical kicking masterclass from the evergreen All Blacks veteran. The service he received was not fantastic but he dealt with it well enough and put the Blues in the right areas of the pitch to stay in the fight but ultimately they lacked that killer blow. Played out the game with a niggle and while he marshalled the troops well, he was unable to spark the score to send the game to extra-time. 7
9 Finlay Christie: As alluded to above, his service to Barrett and co. was not of a high order, but was acceptable while he kicked reasonably well. He outplayed Noah Hotham and was particularly busy in defence. 6
Forward pack
8 Hoskins Sotutu: While he impressed in the first half, he conceded three costly penalties, including a high tackle that earned him 10 minutes in the sin bin when the Blues needed him most. He was completely outplayed by his opposite number, too. After impressing last week, his All Blacks hopes took a real dent this week. 4
7 Dalton Papali’i: A stock-standard Papali’i performance where he muscled up on defence and made good, strong carries. 7
6 Adrian Choat: Another Blues man who played his final game for the club, and as per usual, he was sharp defensively, pestered the breakdown and was busy in the attacking rucks. 6
5 Laghlan McWhannell: Departed proceedings in the final quarter after yet another sharp lineout showing. He did concede a penalty and missed a few tackles, but nothing that was detrimental to his side’s cause. 6
4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c): The top tackler for the Blues in a proper captain’s knock filled with physicality, emotion and determination. He could not have done much more today. 8
3 Marcel Renata: Battered in the scrum by the Crusaders’ juggernaut pack. Managed to hold his own on occasion while he impressed defensively. 5
2 Ricky Riccitelli: Had a stint at loosehead to avoid going down a man while he was strong on defence. The departing hooker also carried well and was accurate at lineout time. 7
1 Joshua Fusitu’a: Yellow carded for a high tackle on Scott Barrett while he struggled in the scrums against Fletcher Newell. Quieter in the loose than he has been this season. 4
Replacements: The Blues were desperate to push the game into extra-time but ultimately fell just short despite an extended period inside the Crusaders’ 22. Anton Segner was a real standout, grabbing two turnovers, but in the end, it was the Crusaders’ bench that came out on top. 4
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