Blues player ratings: Just one player stands out from ’embarrassing’ Aucklanders as rising star produces display worthy of an All Black
Anton Segner and Beauden Barrett in action for the Blues.
Following a 47-24 defeat to the Hurricanes in the Super Rugby Pacific clash at Eden Park on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Blues.
15 Zarn Sullivan: Barely had any influence in attack and was not the greatest last line of defence, missing two of his three tackle attempts. A performance which summed up the Blues’ effort. 4
14 Cole Forbes: Part of a relatively ineffective back three, albeit he was hampered by those inside of him and the forward pack, who were beaten up. The fact that he had to make 13 tackles – completing nine and missing four – said a lot. 4
13 AJ Lam: Finally showed what he could in the second period with a couple of barrelling runs which led to Malachi Wrampling touching down before taking a lovely line to score, but the Blues couldn’t get him into the game enough. 6
Best of the backs
12 Xavi Taele: One of their better performers, winning a turnover, creating Lam’s try with a superb pass and making 14 hits in defence. Probably missed too many, but he was one of the few to stand up to the Hurricanes onslaught. 7
11 Caleb Clarke: Didn’t have too many chances to run but when he did the All Blacks wing generally made ground. Also has to be given immense credit for the way he chased down Jordi Viljoen when the game was lost. 6
10 Beauden Barrett: Was charged down by Warner Dearns for the first try and it didn’t get much better from that point. Not necessarily his fault, with the pack giving him very little good ball in what was an embarrassing display, but either way the Blues‘ struggles are not doing his All Blacks chances any good. 4
9 Sam Nock: Similar to Barrett, it was a real struggle for Nock due to their forwards being sent into reverse. There was a lack of tempo or pace and that ultimately stemmed from what was going on in the ruck. 4
8 Hoskins Sotutu: Form has certainly dipped since he was named Super Rugby Pacific’s MVP in 2024. There were a couple of decent surges to show what Sotutu can do, while he did his work in defence, but he struggled like most of his team-mates. 4
Remarkable effort in losing cause
7 Anton Segner: The one player to match – and perhaps even better – the Hurricanes‘ brilliance. Segner was absolutely outstanding, winning four turnovers and making a staggering 23 tackles, which was nine more than anyone else. The type of display which makes you an All Black, especially with him playing in such a poor side. He certainly deserves a call-up after this. 9
6 Malachi Wrampling: Another player to emerge with credit as he showed his ability with ball in hand, which resulted in a try and 58 metres made, while he was also decent on defence. At just 22, Wrampling is definitely someone they can invest in going forward. 7
5 Sam Darry: Lineout was an absolute mess in the first half but it was better after the break and Darry duly finished the game strong, crossing the whitewash following a fine surge. Overall, he was very good in the second period but it was too little, too late. 6
4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c): Usually sets the physical tone for the Blues but they were outmuscled by the Hurricanes and he was duly taken off after 55 minutes. It was a struggle for Tuipulotu on Saturday. 4
3 Marcel Renata: Scrum wasn’t a huge factor, although when there was a set-piece, he tended to be going into reverse. Despite spending over an hour on the pitch, Renata also didn’t contribute a lot in the loose. 4
2 Bradley Slater: Went off at the break due to injury but could have been hooked earlier given how bad the lineout was. Slater just couldn’t get the communication or execution right with his locks and back-row. 3
1 Ofa Tu’ungafasi: Got through plenty of work before suffering a HIA just shy of the interval and never returned. 5
Replacements: Kurt Eklund shored up the lineout and put in a real shift while Finlay Christie was better than Nock at scrum-half, but the player that helped them gain some respectively was Torian Barnes, who was outstanding during his 10-minute cameo on the field. Barnes has been a feature of the Blues squad this year but, on this evidence, deserves even more game time. 7