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'A beautiful thing': Leon MacDonald praises Blues' well-oiled playmakers

By Tom Vinicombe
Stephen Perofeta. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The Blues have triumphed 53-26 over the Reds in Auckland thanks in part to the cool heads of three key playmakers in the side.

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Halfback Finlay Christie, first five-eighth Beauden Barrett and fullback Stephen Perfoeta were all in impeccable form at Eden Park on Saturday night.

Christie continued his rich run of form for the season and was quick to every breakdown, serving fast ball up on a platter to the backline. Barrett and Perofeta, meanwhile, regularly interchanged at first receiver and combined for two tries and five try assists between them to set their side up for an important victory.

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What players are in the running to start for the All Blacks this season?

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What players are in the running to start for the All Blacks this season?

While Christie and Perofeta have been two of the best performers for the Super Rugby leaders throughout 2022, Barrett had somewhat of a slow start to the campaign due to a concussion suffered in the late stages of last season but is now in tip-top shape ahead of the finals which are due to kick off in two weeks’ time.

Although Perofeta has been strong when asked to fill in at No 10, Barrett adds an extra dimension to the Blues’ attack thanks to his outrageous acceleration and top-end pace.

 

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But just how important is Barrett to the Blues’ fortunes?

“Massive, massive,” coach Leon MacDonald said after the match. “And Stevie. Those two guys and Fin Christie are really steering the ship around the tactical play.

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“I thought we’re getting the ball to the edges, we’re going through the middle, we’ve got a really nice balance and I thought some of our kicks in behind and seeing the space tonight was really good tonight. Watching Beauden Barrett chasing through a grubber’s a beautiful thing.

Barrett himself was full of praise for his teammates following the victory and suggested that he and Perofeta work so well together on the field because of their similar approaches to the game.

“I really enjoy playing with Stevie and we connect well off the field when we talk,” he said. “We see the game very similarly.

“I like his composure and the way he reads the game and obviously his skills. We understand our importance in leading the boys around the park and we have good alignment when it comes to that.

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“I’ve seen huge growth with Stevie in the way he can lead a team, drive a team around. He’s certainly grown with his voice and confidence. It’s about giving him all the opportunities we can because he’s playing so well.”

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There have been rumblings that Perofeta could be playing his way into an All Blacks jersey thanks to his proven ability to play in both the No 10 and No 15 jerseys and if the 25-year-old can continue to perform to the standards he did on Saturday night, the national selectors will certainly need to seriously consider the young playmaker.

Christie, meanwhile, earned a first call-up to the All Blacks last year and has gone from strength to strength in 2022

“He’s a great lad, he’s a real character in this team,” Barrett said of his halfback. “We’re all aware of what he can do with the ball and his tenacity off the ball … The speed that he can play with if we can deliver that quick clean breakdown for him, he can be dangerous.”

The Blues will take on the Brumbies in Canberra next week and the Waratahs also away from home before returning to Eden Park for the quarter-finals. One more win from their last two matches would all but guarantee the Blues home advantage for the extent of their run in the coming sudden death matches.

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j
john 45 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

14 Go to comments
A
Adrian 2 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

14 Go to comments
T
Trevor 5 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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