Blues brush Chiefs aside: Waikato men lay an egg

Blues beat Chiefs 0-25 in a head-scratching Super Rugby Pacific contest at FMG Stadium, Hamilton.

The Blues continued their good run against the Chiefs, winning for the fifth time in the two team’s previous six Super Rugby fixtures.

The Chiefs capped a terrible performance by laying an egg; the men from the Waikato could not trouble the scorers.

Luke Romano, Sam Nock, and Marcel Renata all received yellow cards. However, the Blues dug deep and held firm.

The home team had the better territory and possession, more time in the opposing 22; more than double the number of scrums and lineouts won while having to make fewer tackles.

Tom Robinson bagged a brace on either side of the interval.

AJ Lam sealed the bonus point with minutes remaining as the Blues continued their impressive form.

Beauden Barrett was masterful, setting up two tries, and running the game expertly from the first receiver.

Leon MacDonald’s men have won 13 of their last 14 Super Rugby matches, including their last six games.

Stephen Perofeta added two penalties and conversions apiece for 10 points, he also missed a late drop-kick and conversion.

The Blues went top of the standings on points difference ahead of the Crusaders.

The Hamilton side, despite playing half an hour with an extra man, had three tries ruled out by the TMO.

Samisoni Taukei’aho and Etene Nanai-Seturo both fell foul of TMO Richard Kelly, despite referee Paul Williams awarding ‘on-field’ tries.

Taukei’aho had his late first-half try called back because of a knock-on. Nanai-Seturo had the worse fortune, he had two tries chalked off in the second half.

One was for obstruction, the other when the winger was tackled into touch before dotting down.

Both calls, however, were correct.

Clayton McMillan’s side could not score despite having a numerical advantage for 30 minutes, and seven minutes playing against 13 men.

The converse happened for MacDonald’s side, who managed a converted try when Kaylum Boshier was yellow-carded after 10 minutes.

The Blues kept the Chiefs scoreless to take a deserved 13-0 lead despite having two players in the sin-bin

Robinson scored the only try of the half, Perofeta converted and added two penalties as the home team leaked penalties.

The Blues flooded the breakdown, and the Chiefs’ forwards had no answers.

Four minutes before halftime, and with the hosts mounting some sustained pressure on the Blues’ line, the visitors began to lose their discipline.

Romano and Nock were both yellow-carded inside four minutes.

Romano for a cynical knockdown at the ruck on his line, and Nock for not releasing Nanai-Seturo near the Blues’ try line.

The Blues managed to hold up Pita Gus Sowakula for a goal-line dropout on either side of the yellow cards as the visitors kept the hosts out.

Four minutes later, and after the hooter, a well-worked blindside move between Brad Weber and Taukei’aho saw the hooker dive over near the flag.

But Ofa Tu’ungafasi got back to knock the ball out of the Taukei’aho’s hands before grounding.

There was more misery for the Chiefs as the Blues turn the screw and nil the humbled hosts

Nanai-Seturo’s try got chalked off because of obstruction by Sam Cane soon afterwards to the home supporters’ groans.

Barrett, by now, began to run the show.

On 53 minutes, Mark Telea combined a one-two with Rieko Ioane after Barrett started the counter-attack from the Blues’ 22.

Telea took the ball into the opposition’s 22, with the help of Ioane.

The ball got recycled to Barrett, who spotted Robinson, alone on the righthand touchline, and the playmaker threaded a crossfield kick to the flanker to score.

Perofeta slotted the touchline conversion to open up a 20-point gap.

Renata spent time on the naughty step, 10 minutes later, after another set of repeated infringements by MacDonald’s ill-disciplined unit.

Still, the hosts could not muster any points.

Nanai-Seturo’s second score was ruled out by the TMO. The replay showed the tackler had pushed the winger into touch before he grounded the ball.

It was fine margins. If you cannot, however, score with multiple numerical advantages, and most of the possession inside the red zone, you are finished.

Perofeta’s long-range drop-kick rebounded off the righthand post.

Some more Barrett magic brought up the bonus point and broke the opposition’s spirits.

A sustained Blues attack pushed the Chiefs backwards.

The visitors sucked in defenders with pick-and-drives near the line before Barrett floated a long pass to Lam on the wing.

Final Score: Chiefs 0 (0) Blues 25 (13)

Scorers

Chiefs
Tries –
Pen –
Con –
Drop –
Cards – Boshier (Yellow, 10′)

Blues
Tries – Robinson (2), Lam
Pen – Perofeta (2)
Con – Perofeta (2)
Drop –
Cards – Romano (Yellow, 36′), Nock (Yellow, 39′), Renata (Yellow, 63′)

Match Officials
Referee: Paul Williams
Assistant Ref 1: Angus Mabey
Assistant Ref 2: Mike Winter
TMO: Richard Kelly

Teams

Chiefs: 15 Chase Tiatia, 14 Jonah Lowe, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Bryn Gatland, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Kaylum Boshier, 5 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Aidan Ross.

Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 George Dyer, 19 Samipeni Finau, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Quinn Tupaea, 23 Rivez Reihana.

Blues: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Bryce Heem, 11 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Sam Nock, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papalii (captain), 6 Tom Robinson, 5 Josh Goodhue, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 2 Kurt Eklund, 1 Alex Hodgman.

Replacements: 16 Ricky Riccitelli, 17 Jordan Lay, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 James Tucker, 20 Adrian Choat, 21 Lisati Milo-Harris, 22 Tanielu Tele’a, 23 AJ Lam.