Blues secure Trans-Tasman final place despite not scoring in second half versus Force

The Blues have secured their place in the inaugural Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final with a 31-21 victory over the Western Force in Auckland, but the win wasn’t as pretty as it could have been ahead of next week’s title decider against the Highlanders back at Eden Park.

The Blues were unable to score a second-half try after taking a 28-0 lead into the break. Despite enduring a winless campaign, the Force were Australia’s most consistent outfit and displayed their resilience once again on Saturday night.

Tries from Feleti Kait’ui and Tevita Kuridrani slashed the Blues’ half-time advantage before Force replacement Rob Kearney’s 77th-minute cross created some anxious final moments for the home side.

RugbyPass is sharing unique stories from iconic British and Irish Lions tours to South Africa in proud partnership with The Famous Grouse, the Spirit of Rugby

RugbyPass is sharing unique stories from iconic British and Irish Lions tours to South Africa in proud partnership with The Famous Grouse, the Spirit of Rugby

“It was a hard-fought game and when you have got a home final you have got to look forward to that,” said Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu. “We were happy with the first half. It’s fair to say we didn’t turn up for the second half.

“We knew the Western Force were a team that fights to the end and it’s quite disappointing for us to finish like that, but we can’t dwell on it too much. We have got to look forward to next week and be grateful that we have another week together.”

Super Rugby Trans Tasman | Blues v Force – Rd 5 Highlights

The @BluesRugbyTeam will host the @Highlanders in next week’s Super Rugby Trans Tasman final, after seeing off the @westernforce in Auckland on Saturday.#SuperRugbyTT #BLUvFOR pic.twitter.com/LzBxBybYZJ

— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) June 12, 2021

Tuipulotu said another half-hearted effort wouldn’t be good enough to win the title. “Forty minutes is never good enough,” he said. “We are always struggling for a perfect day, 80-plus (minutes) and against the Highlanders. We know they are a dangerous team. They go 80-plus as well. Look, it was a hard-fought game and we get a home final – we have got to be happy with that.”

Force captain Ian Prior was proud but disappointed. “I’m really proud of the fightback,” Prior said. “They’ve been pretty special, this group this year. We have earned a bit of respect across the ditch. We went pretty close against the Chiefs, against the Crusaders and the Highlanders, but you can’t give away 28 points in the first half and expect to get the win. Really proud of the fightback but we have got a lot of areas to work on.”

The Crusaders may not have gotten the 33-point buffer they were looking for, but there were still some exceptional performances on Saturday evening. #SuperRugbyTT #REBvCRUhttps://t.co/J1EIRnvzqQ

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 12, 2021