‘Why not’: Blues spark to life as Plummer warns the dog is barking again

Harry Plummer warns that the inner dog has its bark back ahead of the Blues’ trip to Christchurch for a Super Rugby Pacific semi-final against the Crusaders on Friday.

On May 17, the defending champions appeared to be done and dusted after a 27-21 defeat to Moana Pasifika left them languishing outside the top six with a 5-8 record. However, in the last round of the regular season, some fortunate results and a resounding 46-6 thumping of the Waratahs at Eden Park secured a playoff spot by the slimmest of margins.

Last Saturday, against the top regular season qualifiers, the Chiefs, the Blues rallied from a 19-6 deficit to win 20-19 and fight for another week. When asked by RugbyPass why the Blues would win again, Plummer simply responded, “Why not?”

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“There’s been talk that we’re not the same team as last season. It’s true we had a rough start, and other teams learned more about us and adapted their game accordingly. I’m excited about this weekend. History says Christchurch is hostile territory. The odds are stacked against us, but we’ve got nothing to lose. We’ve built resilience, and we’re confident.”

Those attributes were evident in Hamilton against the Chiefs. In the last 15 minutes, the Blues scored 13 unanswered points to prevail by one. With a desperate last lunge, lock Josh Beehre scored the winning try, converted by Beauden Barrett.

“Saturday was the best we’ve defended. Trust and aggression in our defence, combined with some smart tactical kicking and patience, got us back into the game,” Plummer reflected.

“We were denied two tries from Caleb Clarke and Hoskins Sotutu. We just had to keep backing our set-piece and play at the right end of the field.

“Josh Beehre is an awesome young player, one of the hardest workers in the team. He totally deserved that moment. Look at the footwork he showcased at the line before he broke through. He’s got some silky skills to go with his toughness.”

Plummer will depart New Zealand at the end of the season to take up a three-year contract with ASM Clermont Auvergne in France. He has played 88 Super Rugby games, achieving 55 wins and scoring 247 points. His 2024 Super Rugby Pacific championship is accompanied by a 2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman championship.

With Auckland, he’s made 56 appearances in the NPC, netting 34 wins and scoring 386 points. In his first professional season, he helped Auckland defeat Canterbury 40-33 in extra time in an NPC final. Canterbury had won nine Premierships in ten seasons.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

4

Draws

0

Wins

1

Average Points scored

27

21

First try wins

60%

Home team wins

80%

Since then, it has been lean pickings against teams in red and black, with a 1-4 record in the NPC and just one win from a dozen Super Rugby matches. In 2023, the Blues were humiliated 52-15 in a Christchurch semi-final.

“We’ve got some world-class players like Beauden Barrett, AJ Lam, Reiko Ioane, and Hoskins Sotutu. We know what’s coming. We can’t worry about them; we need to focus on ourselves, and if we do that, the result will take care of itself.”

This sound logic comes from a player who, on September 21, 2024, broke the glass ceiling by becoming All Black #1221, coming off the bench in a 31-28 victory over Australia in Sydney. The ability to care for himself mentally played a significant role in that ascent.

On August 16, 2024, Harry’s brother Ben Plummer wrote a heartfelt, brave, and revealing column in the New Zealand Herald titled: “Rugby Abuse: My Brother Harry Plummer’s in the All Blacks – The Daily Vitriol Players Receive Makes Me Angry and Ashamed.” Ben wrote:

“Harry actually had a kick to win his first match for the Blues – 45 meters out with one minute to play. It missed… And then began five years of abuse, death threats, and personal attacks. It was a public lynching… I’m not saying there is no place for constructive conversation – but at the point it turns into character assassination, it’s inhumane… You might think it would be easy to ignore, but when it’s everywhere, it’s impossible.”“At the start of my rugby journey, I wasn’t very good at navigating outside criticism,” Harry Plummer admitted. “I understand people are passionate and have opinions; that’s great. But when they bring family into it and attack your character, it’s ridiculous.”

“When I became an All Black, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. No one can take that away from me. I can take you through every second of my brief time on the field.”

“Handling criticism is a balancing act. I’ve built an inner circle to help deal with it. On the technical and tactical side, I trust coaches, past and present, as well as my teammates. On the personal side, I have close friends, and I think it has made our family closer.”