Blues player ratings vs Brumbies | Super Rugby Pacific
The Blues have dug deep and produced a top-drawer win over a stubborn Brumbies outfit to clinch their place in the Super Rugby Pacific final, which they will host against the Crusaders in Auckland next week.
Here’s how the Blues rated in their 20-19 victory at Eden Park on Saturday:
1. Alex Hodgman – 7
Made a nuisance of himself at the breakdown, winning the Blues possession early in the first half. Replicated that feat not long afterwards to get his side out of jail well inside their own territory. Would be surprised to see him excluded from the All Blacks squad on Monday. Off in the 51st minute.
2. Kurt Eklund – 6
Worked in tandem with Josh Goodhue to make their defensive presence felt with a thumping two-man tackle on an opposition player early in the piece. Mostly threw well at the lineout. Conceded a silly yellow card for a tip tackle on Andy Muirhead. Probably fortunate it wasn’t a red.
3. Nepo Laulala – 7
Strong effort at the scrum against veteran counterpart James Slipper to win his side a penalty in the 18th minute. Did the same thing again in the 38th minute. Backbone stuff. Lucky not to have been punished for his involvement in the Muirhead tackle that got Eklund sin binned. Off in the 58th minute.
4. Josh Goodhue – 6
Teamed up with Eklund to smash one of his opponents early on. Won the Blues some lineout pill on occasion and got around the field without too much fuss. Off in the 58th minute.
5. Tom Robinson – 8
Showed soft hands to pop the ball into the clutches of Rieko Ioane in the lead-up to Hoskins Sotutu’s try. At his aerobic best at the lineout and was busy with ball in hand. Ran the second-most metres of any Blues forward, didn’t miss a tackle and was his side’s chief lineout option. Capped it all off my pinching an absolutely vital lineout steal right on his own tryline inside the final 10 minutes. Stellar effort.
6. Akira Ioane – 6
Carried often but without much notoriety in the first half, with his first notable moment on attack coming 10 minutes into the second half, when he hustled and bustled his way through some lacklustre defence.
7. Adrian Choat – 4
Poor defensive read from the side of the scrum gave Irae Simone the space needed to score from early in the match. Topped his side’s tackle count with nine to his name, but had his uneventful night brought to an end with a yellow card for a head clash with Tom Wright.
8. Hoskins Sotutu – 8
Capped off a sweeping Blues counter-attack emphatically by busting through a few Brumbies defenders from close range to score his side’s first try. Fronted up on defence as well, thwarting one promising Brumbies attack with a good strip of the ball near the half hour mark. Admirably stepped in to assume responsibility as lineout thrower with Eklund in the sin bin, and acquitted himself well on that front. A bit of ill-discipline near the end of the match marred what was otherwise a superb showing.
9. Finlay Christie – 6
Was his nippy self for the most part of the first half, but perhaps lacked a little bit of accuracy or poise on attack. Still managed to pop up here, there and everywhere for as long as he was on the park. Thumping tackle to stop Jahrome Brown in his tracks late in the contest.
10. Beauden Barrett (c) – 9
Got good value out of putting boot to ball to test the Brumbies’ backfield in slippery conditions, forcing a knock-on out of Tom Hooper, a misread from Noah Lolesio and a collision between Nic White and Tom Banks. He was, however, uncharacteristically burnt for pace by Simone en route to his first-up try, but did his best to make up for it from the ensuing re-start by holding a Brumbies player up to earn his side a scrum. Looked threatening whenever he opted to take on defenders and was constantly the focal point of his side’s attack, as illustrated by his ability to beat four defenders and fling a back-handed offload away to help put Mark Telea over for a try in the corner. Unlucky to have his 45m drop goal attempt denied by the crossbar on the stroke of half-time. Clutch last-ditch tackle to prevent the rampant Banks from scoring in the 54th minute, but couldn’t quite score one himself when he was held up over the line in the 62nd minute. Regardless, it was an immense showing by the star playmaker.
11. Mark Telea – 6.5
Was mostly quiet up until he dotted down near half-time, when he did well to stay on his feet and wriggle his way over the chalk while being tangled up in a tackle. Had some good moments, even if they were far and few between, but was one of many Blues players who were guilty of letting ill-discipline creep into his game near full-time.
12. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck – 6
A quiet night for the cross-code superstar. Largely nullified by the Brumbies defence and was utilised in a strictly ball-carrying role – which he executed well, aside from a glaring handling error and costly penalty concession – but didn’t really get to see his glittering footwork in action. Parked himself out on the wing a lot of the time. Perhaps a sign of things to come moving forward?
13. Rieko Ioane – 7
Showed good support play and patience with ball in hand leading up to Sotutu’s try. Brilliant line break near the end of the first half to set in motion the events that led to Telea’s try. Got stood up twice in the same play by Muirhead and Banks, only to be spared his blushes by Barrett’s try-saving defence.
14. AJ Lam – 8
Helped Barrett win his side a scrum feed inside the first few minutes with some staunch defensive presence. Lovely decision-making and patience in the build-up to Telea’s try as he picked his moment perfectly to find Christie among a cluster of Brumbies defenders. Followed that up with a powerful charge upfield to provide the Blues with the momentum that should have paved the way for a try to Barrett. Won a vital breakdown turnover in the 67th minute to stifle the opposition’s attack well inside his own half. Looked well at home in the absence of regular Blues power wing Caleb Clarke.
15. Stephen Perofeta – 8
Used as a turnstile by Simone in the lead-up to the match’s opening try, but made up for it with an outstanding try-saving tackle to hold Banks up over the line. Instigated a try-scoring counter-attack with some incisive running in back play before popping a deft offload into the hands of Tom Robinson. Bagged a try assist for Telea and kicked all his goals without fail. Beautiful short ball put Barrett into acres of space, only to be denied a try over the line. Poor start aside, it was a quality showing by the All Blacks prospect.
Reserves
16. Soane Vikena – N/A
17. Karl Tu’inukuafe – 6
On in the 51st minute. Didn’t touch the ball at all, instead putting himself to work on the defensive and set piece front.
18. Ofa Tuungafasi – 7
On in the 58th minute. Struggled to live up to the scrummaging standards set by Laulala, giving away a scrum-related penalty in the 66th minute. However, he came up with probably the most important play of the evening, charging down a Noah Lolesio drop goal in the dying moments of the game.
19. Luke Romano – 6
On in the 58th minute. Showed some good ball-playing skills upon his introduction into the match.
Comments on RugbyPass
Oh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on the @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
2 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
2 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to comments