Blues v Highlanders: Five takeaways as All Blacks snubs shine in swansong season while rookie offers Dave Rennie a ‘tantalising’ option
Blues back-rower Dalton Papali'i and an inset of Highlanders' back Timoci Tavatavanawai.
Following the Blues’ 47-40 victory over the Highlanders at Eden Park, here are our five takeaways from the New Zealand Super Rugby Pacific derby.
The top line
A New Zealand derby decided by just seven points, which should never have been the case, as the Blues did their utmost to completely undo all their excellence and make this a far closer game than it should have ever been.
The Blues held a 19-point buffer heading into the final half hour of the match, but with two minutes left to play, they were defending a seven-point lead and ultimately held out to deny the Highlanders another crack through the Super point.
Adam Lennox was a standout for the Highlanders throughout the game, scoring a brace of tries, the first coming through a scrappy lineout and the nippy number nine tore through the Blues’ defence to take the lead after just two minutes.
The visitors’ advantage was short-lived as Hoskin Sotutu scored nine minutes into his return from injury, and by the 13th minute, the Blues were ahead as Anton Segner grabbed his first five-pointer of the evening.
Sam Darry extended the hosts’ advantage with a third try without reply, but the ‘Landers would finally respond and it was through the magic of Caleb Tangitau who sent Tanielu Tele’a through for the easiest of finishes.
That made it a five-point game at half-time and the closest the Highlanders would come for the remainder of the game, despite the Blues’ best efforts to allow them back into the fixture.
Vern Cotter’s men started the second half brightly as Bradley Slater and Segner scored inside the first 10 minutes before Lennox side-stepped his way to a brace. Tries for Cole Forbes and debutant Ben Ake, either side of Xavier Tito-Harris’ score, gave the Blues breathing room and it was needed as the Highlanders rallied late through a second Tele’a try and another by Soane Vikena.
However, some last-ditch defence saved the day for the hosts, who held out for the four league points.
Blues’ double whammy mattered little
The scoreline didn’t tell the full story of the Blues’ dominance on the gain-line, in the air and in collisions for the first half, with Cotter’s side really pulling away in the second 40, until they didn’t, and the first half woes weren’t helped by the actions of full-back Sullivan in the 32nd minute.
Tangitau had been starved of opportunities up until that point but quickly made his mark by skipping past some average kick-chase defence, creating an overlap for Tele’a.
Finlay Christie did well on the cover defence to chop Tangitau low, but the winger was still able to his pass away before Sullivan whacked his shoulder into his face, ending the ‘Landers winger’s evening.
It was a straightforward decision from referee Jordan Wray to issue the yellow card to Sullivan and send the incident to be reviewed by the bunker, who decided that it was sufficient punishment. There is an argument to be made that Sullivan was always illegal in his actions, but ultimately, a yellow card certainly felt like a fair call.
While Wray and his team got that decision spot on, the Blues would be ruining the ignorance of Tangitau’s final pass, which was quite clearly forward out of the hands and travelled forward en route to Tele’a, who did the rest.
Ultimately, it was a double whammy for the Blues as they conceded seven points and had a man sent to the bin, but Cotter will be pleased with the way his team managed that sin-binning period. The Highlanders failed to break down the Blues’ defence during the 10 minutes, and when they were restored to full complements, they scored back-to-back tries in quick succession.
Highlanders’ horrific defence and wastefulness
The scoreline really flattered the Highlanders, who lived off scraps. Lennox’s first score was a classic example of fully capitalising on half an opportunity as he cantered through after a woeful lineout. They were fortunate that Tele’a’s first try stood. Lennox’s second was a rare occurrence in which Jamie Joseph’s men took advantage of the pressure they had created; the other was Tele’a’s second, while Tito-Harris’ try was a gift from Beauden Barrett.
AJ Lam’s yellow card and some shocking clearance work created the opportunity for Vikena to eventually strike, and while the Highlanders should be commended for their efforts when the Blues took their foot off the gas, Joseph will be livid with the number of opportunities they wasted.
15 turnovers and 10 penalties conceded provide a snapshot of just how inefficient the visitors were, but their inability to get clean attacking ball from the lineout hamstrung the team too. They also had the upper hand in the scrums, but one once really made the most of that advantage with Lennox’s second try.
To compound those woes, their defence around the rucks was quite frankly shambolic and was a major factor in their demise.
How Sotutu managed to dot the ball down while going so high into contact, so close to the line, remains a mystery, while the second try was much of the same too. Dalton Papali’i ran through a massive gap in the centre of the park, and when the Blues whipped it out wide to Segner, the German was helped over the line with his second carry.
Even Darry’s try was off a rudimentary carry so close to the line, that it really shouldn’t have resulted in five points, but it was. Segner’s second was arguably the worst of the lot. There is a case for a slight obstruction before he received the ball, but there was more than enough time to adjust and at least get a shoulder on him, but the German simply cruised to the try-line.
Brutal Blues ruthlessly capitalise but bellowing soft underbelly exposed
As bad as the Highlanders’ defence was, the Blues deserve credit for just how ruthlessly they capitalised on those opportunities, averaging a ridiculous 4.27 points per 22 metre entry.
Cotter has copped flak for his team being rather one-dimensional and hardly the most entertaining side in Super Rugby Pacific, and while there may be a hint of truth to the criticism, when they are switched on, they are mightily effective.
Through the boots of Barrett and Christie, they controlled possession and territory with the pack dominating the gainline. Joseph warned that the Blues go through the front door in the build-up to the game, but as detailed above, it’s one thing knowing that’s what they’re going to do, and another thing entirely to stop it.
Time and time again, they had the Highlanders on the back foot, and scrambling in defence while remaining pretty air-tight in defence. But unlike the squad that lifted the Super Rugby Pacific title in 2024, this Blues team’s bellowing soft underbelly was exposed.
At 47-26 up with five minutes left to play, a title-contending team does one of two things: Shut up shop or pile on the misery. What did the Blues do? They imploded, gifted opportunities and did their best to lose and what makes it even worse is that two of the biggest errors came through their most experienced player, Barrett.
The impact from the bench was nigh-on non-existent, which didn’t help matters either, but if this is to be a common theme for the Blues, their hopes of winning the title are looking more and more bleak. A better team would have punished the hosts more than the ‘Landers did today.
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Back-row brilliance and ‘Landers standouts
It’s a real shame that two of the Blues’ back-rowers won’t be on New Zealand shores next season, with Sotutu taking his talents to the Newcastle Red Bulls and Papali’i heading off to Castres – both doing so after being snubbed by now ex-All Blacks boss Scott Robertson.
Most of the Blues’ brilliance today came through the work of their loose trio who dovetailed stunningly, particularly Segner and Papali’i who got through a staggering amount of work. They punched holes through the ‘Landers defence, whether that was right up the guts or on the extremities, while laying a solid platform at the rucks – 44% of which was between 0-3 seconds, while 39% was between 3-6. Furthermore, Segner was the most used jumper for the Blues and was central to disrupting the Highlanders’ set-up, which struggled all game.
The graft of Segner and Papali’i allowed Sotutu to play far more loosely and emphasised his impact on the carry, while he had a bigger focus on using his frame on defence to drive the Highlanders backwards.
The Blues’ back-row secured the win for the Aucklanders but it would be remiss not to mention the men who made this far more of a contest that it should have been.
Timoci Tavatavanawai was fantastic and pilfered over on more than one occasion to deny the hosts a threatening attacking possession. The All Blacks centre was ferocious in contact and sent Blues bodies flying through the air with his brutal carries – a sight Dave Rennie will be delighted by.
Another player who may well be piquing the interest of the new All Blacks is 22-year-old Lennox and not just for his double today. The nippy back was a real spark to otherwise blunt Highlanders’ attack and he was just as effective when he moved into the back-three when Folau Fakatava entered the fray.
While he has largely played at scrum-half for Joseph, he has the ability to play in the outside backs and is a tantalising bench prospect for the men in black, particularly if Cam Roigard is going to be playing a full 80 minutes.