Blues player ratings: ‘Shocking’ Beauden Barrett errors take gloss off ‘classy’ display as destructive back-row key to victory
Anton Segner and Beauden Barrett in action for the Blues in Super Rugby Pacific.
Following a 47-40 victory over the Highlanders in the Super Rugby Pacific clash at Eden Park on Friday, here are the player ratings for the Blues.
15 Zarn Sullivan: A useful boot while he had a couple of threatening runs, but it was the pack and the big carriers that ultimately did the damage for the Blues. 6
14 Cole Forbes: Similar to Sullivan, his impact was limited, partly due to the nature of the hosts’ style, but he did chase hard and put some pressure on in the air, and finished his try well. 6
13 AJ Lam: Did his fair share of carrying, mostly in traffic, and kept the momentum going, but he wasn’t quite as effective as usual and received a late yellow card. 5
12 Xavi Taele: A dual threat of pass and carry, and he was good in both. Made metres through the heart of the Highlanders defence as the visitors struggled with their opponents’ physicality. 7
Talent obvious
11 Codemeru Vai: The wing is a promising talent who showed glimpses of what he could do. There was one outstanding break while Vai looked like a threat whenever he got the ball, even if he could not quite break free. 7
10 Beauden Barrett: Classy for the most part, but a couple of shocking errors, which included an abysmal pass and a poor clearance, led to Highlanders tries and took the gloss off it somewhat. Generally took the right options and managed to keep the opposition at arm’s length via his kicking game and ability to dictate proceedings until that late comeback. 7
9 Finlay Christie: A good foil to Barrett. Generally does his jobs well, whether it’s box-kicking or lifting the tempo from the base, and bossed his Blues forward pack around efficiently. 7
8 Hoskins Sotutu: An outstanding player at Super Rugby Pacific level and the visitors struggled to deal with his power in the carry. Consistently made it over the gain line. 8
7 Dalton Papali’i: Dovetailed superbly with his flank partner. Segner will take the plaudits for his two-try efforts but Papali’i was also very effective and was physical around the field. 8
Statement display
6 Anton Segner: Since making his way into the Blues team as a youngster, the German-born back-rower has always been a consistent performer, but we’ve been looking for a bit more in order to take the next step. This performance perhaps showed that he has matured, scoring two tries, dominating in contact and being their main jumper in the lineout, which included a steal. A superb display. 9
5 Sam Darry: Contributed fully to the pack effort, which included crossing the whitewash. Led the lineout which summed up his excellence at close quarters. 7
4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c): Akin to the rest of the back five, Tuipulotu played with intent and got the better of the Highlanders pack during his 45 minutes on the field. The Blues probably missed his leadership late on, but he has only just returned from injury. 6
3 Marcel Renata: The scrum was the weakest part of the hosts’ game and Renata struggled against All Black Ethan de Groot, but he did his job in the loose. 5
2 Bradley Slater: A fine shift from the hooker, who was accurate at the lineout and abrasive around the field. He was also powerful in contact and deserved his try. 7
1 Mason Tupaea: Similar to Renata, it was tough going in the scrum but it did not cost them too much as they dominated in other areas. 5
Replacements: It should have never been as close as it was and the bench has to take its share of the blame. While there were errors from the starters late on, including the aforementioned ones from Barrett, the replacements simply failed to make an impact with the Blues unable to keep their foot on the throat. 3