Blues dynamo runs wild in 60 point 'onslaught'

1 year ago 81

This nonfiction was primitively published connected Stuff and is reproduced with permission

The Blues' devastating attacking spree successful the archetypal fractional lifted past year's runners up to an emphatic 60-20 triumph implicit the Highlanders to commencement their rubric pursuit successful Super Rugby Pacific.

All Blacks winger Mark Telea was outstanding successful a memorable onslaught of moving rugby that near the gallant southerners chasing a crippled that ever felt retired of reach.

There were 51 points successful an extended archetypal fractional connected Saturday nighttime successful Dunedin and the Blues were excessively speedy and clinical, leaving Highlanders manager Clarke Dermody with a dense nonaccomplishment successful his archetypal lucifer successful charge.

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When they needed to, the Blues enactment the Highlanders away.

Fittingly, Telea completed his brace of tries successful the last minutes and gave Rieko Ioane his 2nd with different fabulous break.

In the lack of prima All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith, Folau Fakatava made his comeback from a genu wounded for the Highlanders, aft opting against ACL country successful his bid to marque the Rugby World Cup squad, and helium showed glimpses of his qualities.

But opposing halfback Finlay Christie had a stronger game, guiding the Blues astir the parkland who, astatine times, looked unstoppable erstwhile their onslaught had momentum.

The Highlanders, led by skipper Billy Harmon, troubled them astatine the breakdown contempt the stroke of losing talismanic No.8 Marino Mikaele-Tu'u to a suspected rib wounded successful the 3rd minute.

However, they crumbled and conceded a whopping 8 tries connected location turf for a genuinely miserable defeat.

Everything the Blues touched wrong the archetypal 28 minutes turned to gold.

They were helped, too, by the Highlanders gifting them their archetypal points erstwhile they were marched 10 metres for dissent.

The punishment was shifted to wrong Beauden Barrett's range.

He took the 3 points earlier the Blues scored 4 tries successful 15 scintillating archetypal fractional minutes.

The terrific Telea started and finished a sweeping determination for their opener, Christie pounced connected a escaped shot to sprint distant and Telea was successful enactment to springiness Barrett their second, past Barrett's booming cross-field footwear was successfully chased by Caleb Clarke, beating the dazed Highlanders defenders aft moving much than 50 metres.

Rieko Ioane finished different swift, objective determination down the close flank, combining with Telea, and the hosts were fortunate to lone beryllium trailing by 25 points aft Sam Gilbert's 2 punishment goals.

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There was immoderate respite, however, and Fakatava's contentious disallowed effort sparked a reaction.

The Highlanders' relentless unit earlier fractional clip resulted successful 2 yellowish cards for the Blues, to Cameron Suafoa and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, and tries for Mitch Hunt and Josh Timu.

Meanwhile, it was Pacific Islands rugby astatine its champion astatine Mount Smart Stadium connected Saturday afternoon, and it was fittingly decided by a dazzling effort astatine the decease arsenic the Fijian Drua outlasted Moana Pasifika successful a furiously entertaining slugfest.

There were 11 tries each told successful a splendid, fast-paced encounter, with the Drua's sixth score, successful the 77th infinitesimal to replacement helping Taniela Rakuro, deciding a contest, 36-34, that truly could person gone either way.

It wasn't cleanable rugby – excessively galore errors and infringements for that – but it was a delight to ticker arsenic some teams threw everything into it and played precise overmuch to their strengths.

For Aaron Mauger's Moana broadside that was precise overmuch up front, with the location broadside dominating the guardant arm-wrestle, and getting a brace of tries from prop Abraham Pole and different from chap front-rower Chris Apoua.

They besides thrived with immoderate outstanding powerfulness moving from centre Levi Aumua and helping Timoci Tavatavanawai.

But the Drua were ne'er retired of the contention with their explosiveness and strikepower retired wide, and they enjoyed beardown performances from skipper and hooker Tevita Ikanivere, escaped forwards Joseva Tamani and Kitione Salawa and backline stars Iosefo Masi, Tuidraki Samusamuvodre and Selestino Ravutaumada.

It was hard to judge that these were the bottommost 2 teams of 2022, specified was the prime of the contention and the array of skills connected show.

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Mauger's men got disconnected to an explosive start, crossing for a effort apiece to starting props Pole and Apoua wrong the archetypal 10 minutes for the aboriginal 12-0 lead.

Both came connected the backmost of standout runs by backs, Aumua for the opener and Fijian winger Timoci Tavatavanawai for the second.

But successful a fractional that played retired astatine a frantic pace, the enactment continued to travel heavy and fast.

The Drua got connected the committee astatine the extremity of the opening 4th erstwhile skipper Tevita Ikanivere drove implicit aft a bid of tapped penalties, and escaped guardant Mike Curry replied for the location broadside soon aft to get them retired to 19-5.

The Drua past struck doubly to punish their hosts for a yellowish paper to fastener Sam Slade, Joseva Tomani (off a speedy tap) and Olympic sevens golden medallist Masi (from a superb determination disconnected lineout, with Tomani laying connected the assist) crossing to level the scores astatine 19-19 successful the shadiness of the break.

Moana, though, were not done, wrong centre Danny Toala punishing the Drua for a handling mistake erstwhile helium danced 30-odd metres down the close touchline for a 7 pointer that gave the location broadside the 26-19 halftime lead.

The contention continued to surge backmost and distant implicit the 2nd 40, Ikanivere's aboriginal 2nd people answered by Pole's, earlier Masi completed his brace to level the scores astatine 31-31.

Skipper Christian Lealiifano past enactment Moana backmost successful beforehand (34-31) with the lone punishment changeable of the lucifer earlier the Drua produced the razzle dazzle to clinch the victory, Salawa and Samusamuvodre breaking down the near touch, and Ravutaumada laying connected the magic to enactment Rakuro successful for the winner.

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