Hopeless Blues slump to new low
4 May 2012
JON CARDINELLI watched the Hurricanes beat the Blues 35-19 to hand the Aucklanders their seventh successive defeat.
The Blues remain rooted to the foot of the Super Rugby table, and are now big favourites to win the New Zealand conference wooden spoon.
They haven’t beaten another Kiwi franchise this season, and Friday’s defeat marked their second loss to the Hurricanes in 2012. The Hurricanes are currently ranked fourth in the New Zealand conference, but are now a whopping 18 log points clear of the last-placed Blues.
These are desperate times, and the desperation of this hapless Blues outfit was apparent from the outset of Friday’s match in Wellington.
It was clear that the plan was to play a more structured game, but the Hurricanes had come to the contest with the intent to spoil and niggle, and these tactics worked superbly. It was only a matter of time before the Blues imploded.
The Hurricanes were guilty of poor ball protection at times, but their tactics to kick the ball into open spaces and pressure the Blues back three with high-hanging kicks certainly paid dividends.
It was a well-weighted cross kick by Beauden Barrett that provided them with their first scoring opportunity, but special mention should go to Cory Jane for the finish. Jane employed his fantastic aerial skills to disrupt George Moala so that the Blues winger lost possession, and the ever-alert Conrad Smith pounced on the loose ball to score.
The Hurricanes were typically erratic at the breakdown, and for a while Piri Weepu kept the Blues in touch with his accurate goal-kicking boot. At one stage the scoreline was 12-8 in the visitors’ favour, and they looked set to end the half with the lead.
But their inability to finish scoring opportunities cost them dearly. Chris Lowrey was held up when he crashed over the tryline, and further ventures into the Hurricanes 22 ended in frustration with the Blues spilling the ball forward.
It was another Blues error that sparked the Hurricanes’ second try, with TJ Perenara swooping on a bouncing ball and finding the omnipresent Jane. Jane in turn fed Andre Taylor, who raced away for his eighth try of the season.
The Blues’ effort really started to flag in the last 30 minutes, and a sublime exhibition of handling skills allowed Julian Savea to score the decisive try. From that point, the Blues were chasing the game, and without the necessary dominance up front or the all-round leadership and decisiveness, they had no chance of coming back.
A bonus-point try was added by Perenara late in the piece, and Jason Eaton scored the hosts’ fifth after a wild pass by Blues fullback Hadleigh Parkes dropped right in front of him. It was an embarrassing end for a Blues team that has already had to deal with its fair share of humiliation.
They managed to avoid the embarrassment of not scoring a try, as Benson Stanley’s late five-pointer added some respectability to the scoreline. Having said that, there’s not getting around the fact that a 16-point defeat to a rebuilding Hurricanes team is a damning indictment.
This Blues side is in disarray, and while it may be too late to avoid the Kiwi conference wooden spoon, they will now be playing for pride. They will be lucky to to avoid a last-placed finish on the overall log.
88 Comments
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4 May 2012, 10:53 am
Nonu, Weepu, in front of the Canes faithful, you put on individual performances that brings a smile to Mark Hammetts face and the Wellington crowd. From bad to woeful and downright unbearable. As a blues die hard, I hope 2013 is a whole etter than what we have been served up this season.
4 May 2012, 10:59 am
Just end the game right now and it is right on the money in superbru for me….by nine
4 May 2012, 10:59 am
South African born Reg Goodes, may have just scored his first ever try.
4 May 2012, 11:00 am
@Atlas(Atlas)-50: @ Dawn. Not you Brokeback boys
4 May 2012, 11:01 am
Conclusive proof that the rugby ball is not round.
4 May 2012, 11:01 am
Big difference in skill level between NZ and SA backs.
4 May 2012, 11:02 am
No try to Goodes, but TJ Perenara is a great little player. 2015 RWC halves will be Perenara and Aaron Smith. Just as I give him praise, he scores a try.
4 May 2012, 11:03 am
@CSI:Rugby(CSI:Rugby)-53:
How old is Barrett? He looks as if he should still be at school.
4 May 2012, 11:05 am
@David(David)-58: I believe he’s only 20, he and Perenara were part of the NZ U20s last year, so you’re right in that he looks like he is twelve. Reminds me of Andrew Merhtens, not the kicking though.
4 May 2012, 11:09 am
Well that’s another Blues loss. Nothing to see here folks, move along . . . LOL.
4 May 2012, 11:10 am
Skills in this game have been exceptional. Support play, chip n chase, not a blockbuster, but really entertaining.
4 May 2012, 11:11 am
@Todd W(Todd W)-60: You’re wrong Todd, they lost pretty today, lol
4 May 2012, 11:14 am
The plan to see the removal of Pat is coming to fruition….even the players have bought into it….
4 May 2012, 11:14 am
Pat Lam needs to do the right thing now and F off.
4 May 2012, 11:16 am
i need to the blues to keep their lose to within 3 to 9 points dammit.
4 May 2012, 11:16 am
Eaton, gathers, fends, steps, slides, TRY! Not bad for a lock.
4 May 2012, 11:16 am
@CSI:Rugby(CSI:Rugby)-59:
Great prospect. I’ve been really impressed with his mature decision making.
4 May 2012, 11:17 am
to late its over.
4 May 2012, 11:18 am
Game over.
Now for the Pink Bully boyz to put 20+ on the Rebels
4 May 2012, 11:21 am
@David(David)-67: yeah, I agree, level headed customer, he and Perenara will be in the ABs maybe not this year, but definitely in years to come. Great little combo. When Carter retires, I reckon Barrett will be 2nd in line behind Cruden.
4 May 2012, 11:26 am
@CSI:Rugby(CSI:Rugby)-70:
Barret will never be an Ab until he is willing to put his body on the line on D.
4 May 2012, 11:27 am
Dang.
Missed the winning margin by 1 point.
4 May 2012, 11:31 am
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-71: Give him time, he’ll eventually get there. Look at Cruden, he has oly just bulked up and puts in the shoulder compared to when he started, he was a turnstile on D. Mehrts, Carlos were also not so good defenders.
4 May 2012, 11:36 am
@CSI:Rugby(CSI:Rugby)-73:
I hope so because he has all the attacking skills. But good D is more a mental thing…..rather than body mass.
4 May 2012, 11:39 am
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-74: Totally agree, Cruden, Barrett, Anscombe, Taylor, Noakes, Sopoaga, Bleyendaal, we have plenty of young flyhalves coming through the lots system. Good headache to have.
4 May 2012, 11:39 am
Colts*
4 May 2012, 11:41 am
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-74:
I reckon that as a young player becomes more confident in his body strength, he becomes more solid on defence. Especially in the 10 channel.
4 May 2012, 11:43 am
@CSI:Rugby(CSI:Rugby)-75:
Yeah Bro, good crop…. wish they could all be in a Blues jersey
4 May 2012, 11:45 am
thought Lions were bad – this is team full of ABs???
by by Lam
4 May 2012, 11:46 am
@David(David)-77:
yes you are right in some cases but you either have the heart to mix it with the big boys or you don’t
4 May 2012, 11:51 am
Ever since Henry Honiball put the shoulder into every tackle and changed the defensive make up of the ten jersey, the spotlight is put squarely on flyhalves who cannot defend and that usually is the trump card when it comes to selection. Tony Brown wasn’t bad either.
4 May 2012, 11:55 am
@CSI:Rugby(CSI:Rugby)-81:
Great defender but lacked the x factor to be considered amongst the best……Carter any day..
4 May 2012, 12:29 pm
My condolences CSI and Te Rangatira, I feel for you as a Sharks supporter I can empathise, don’t know what tomorrow will bring
But hopefully 2013 will be better for both our teams! hopefully with new coaching staff! Lam, Plum, Bashford and Hugh Reece must go!
4 May 2012, 12:45 pm
toughest conference by far 4/5 sides a chance to make it.could have been 4 kiwi sides in the finals,except for the cr*p conference system,rewarding mediocrity
4 May 2012, 16:12 pm
Blues coach Pat Lam asked Canes coach Mark Hammett: Could I have a gumguard for Piri Weepu? Mark replied ‘yeah, that’s a fair swap’.
4 May 2012, 16:29 pm
Good for Hammett. Nonu/Weepu were notorious for slacking off and not putting in 100% during Super Rugby, and Hammett decided he wasn’t going to put up with it. Vindication for him. And at age 20 Perenera is already a better scrum half than Weepu.
5 May 2012, 01:32 am
Still think they will pomp the Lions though…
5 May 2012, 08:18 am
would you put money on the Lions??
might be worth a wager.
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