Blues player ratings versus Crusaders | Super Rugby Aotearoa
The Crusaders may have had a tough couple of weeks but there’s no doubt they have the edge on the Blues after beating them for the second time this season, 29-6. The victory gives them a home final to defend their Super Rugby Aotearoa title in two weeks time.
Even though the Blues got their share of possession, they looked too anxious. They missed seven tackles in the first nine minutes and couldn’t make the most of their attacking chances to stay tryless for the game. So many times in the last few weeks the Blues have made some great inroads into the red zone but attacks have fizzled out.
Here’re the Blues’ ratings:
1. Karl Tu’inukuafe – 7/10
Scrummed with glee giving Alaalatoa a bath and still energetic enough to feature with the ball after an hour. Off at 63.
2. Kurt Eklund – 7
Great to see a Blues hooker who is genuine Super Rugby standard. The set piece was reliable and Eklund worked hard in defence; the highlight getting the Blues off to the perfect start in the second half with turnover and penalty. Off at 60.
3. Nepo Laulala – 6
Added to the scrum effort but wasn’t as dominant as his partner. Off at 49.
4. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti – 7.5
He is in very good form in the absence of his captain; prowling the centre of the field with brutal hits and powerful runs. Solid at the lineout, top takes from either team and didn’t stop trying against his much-vaunted opponents.
5. Sam Darry – 6.5
It was a game for him to prove he had the goods against his old hometown team. No doubt he did, the Blues lineout was right on the mark. Off at 66.
6. Blake Gibson – 6.5
Good turnover in the 1st minute but too much anxiety from Rieko and Clarke to take advantage of it. Blew a missed tackle of Will Jordan on the way to the line in the 6th minute, dropsies at 31 after a turnover. Off at 45 and the two open side experiment worked well.
7. Dalton Papalii – 8
Stepped up to the co-captain’s role very well. Was a pest at the breakdown and a pest for the ref; Doleman had had enough of him after half an hour. Three great turnovers and a leader on both sides of the ball; the Blues will need him next week.
8. Hoskins Sotutu – 7.5
Strong showing at right time, top metres and carries for his team. With injuries to Cane and Savea, Sotutu will be key for the All Blacks this year. Loved his neat stepping for his try attempt in the 18th minute.
9. Jonathan Ruru – 5.5
Lacked certainty with his passing from the base and that improved after Black came on. A number of defensive errors, most notably at 31 minutes at the base of the scrum that cost his team 30 metres. Off at 49.
10. Harry Plummer – 5.5
It would seem as though the injury to Tele’a was blessing in disguise after Plummer’s showing at ten in the first quarter hour, he missed a tackle on Jordan, a pretty adjacent shot at goal and Ruru looked tentative inside him. Once he was one out, he came back and defended well and ended up top tackler for his team. He tried to run straight on challenging angles at times and there was a good kick off receipt at 42 minutes. A black mark was a silly offside in the 34th minute from a kick.
11.Caleb Clarke – 6
After last week’s promise it wasn’t the perfect game for Clarke. Looking at the stats though you can’t fault 80 odd metres with 8 carries, but along with some of his team mates, he looked over anxious and was outplayed by the Crusaders outside backs.
12. Taniela Tele’a – N/A
Got smashed by Havili Talitui at 11 minutes. Off at 14 minutes and the Crusaders possibly looking for a new 7 for the final?
13. Rieko Ioane – 4
Interesting how the two co-captains responded to the leadership roles. Papalii was inspiring, Rieko was not. A catalogue of errors; missed Bridge 7th minute, sloppy pass off turnover, dropped ball at 11 minutes, a netball pass intercepted by Reece at 31, slow to a ruck at 37 and robbed by Mo’unga after a great Clarke run. It got slightly better in the second half but he dropped the ball at 49 and 67 minutes.
14. Mark Telea – 4.5
Such a shame the wing has not been able to match his exploits from the last few seasons. At around 48 minutes we saw one of his dazzling runs but they have been few and far between in 2021. Had a poor period just before halftime where he was penalised twice , off at 60.
15. Stephen Perofeta – 6
An up and down game for Perofeta. Had some good runs but an agonising error, a forward pass at 25 minutes, and could do nothing to stop Reece 2 minutes later for the Crusaders second try.
Reserves:
16. Soane Vikena – 6.5
On at 60 for a promising debut. Featured in a couple of runs in the first few minutes and ended up with 25 metres of carrying. Cute little throw in with his first lineout but penalised at the breakdown at 65. Looked the part and is one for the future.
17. Marcel Renata – 4.5
On at 63. Got pinged at 78 for collapsing and ended the game with a knock on.
18. Ofa Tuungafasi – 6.5
On at 49. Really does give the Blues go forward with ball in hand and a good handful of purposeful tackles.
19. Taine Plumtree – 6
On at 66. Staunch performance in contact.
20. – Akira Ioane – 7
On at 45. Some good barrelling runs, the best one at 69 minutes but again as we’ve seen in the last few weeks with the Blues, many attacks die in the red zone.
21. Finlay Christie – 6.5
On at 49 with good energy and will. Lovely read in defence on Reece at 65 minutes off the back of the lineout.
22. Otere Black – 6.5
On at 14 he got pulled in on defence by Havili to set up Reece for his try. Overall though his insertion into the game showed he is a settling influence and his flat running kept the Crusaders defence honest.
23. AJ Lam – N/A
On at 60.
Comments on RugbyPass
Yet, according to Jake White and other twonks who think better, Jenkins shouldn’t be picked by the boks. Daft.
3 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
5 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
5 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments