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Blues take exception with journalist on social media after 'comically bad' last 30 seconds
After conceding three tries in the final ten minutes against the Hurricanes from a comfortable winning position, the Blues almost gave it away again at Eden Park as two costly penalties gave the Chiefs a chance to snatch it.
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With time in the red past 80 minutes, the Blues just had to kick it out but an illegal latch from flanker Tom Robinson gave the Chiefs possession and the chance to kick to touch from their territory.
From the ensuing line out, Robinson was again penalised after trying to compete and steal the ball, giving the Chiefs a kickable three to take the lead with the score at 24-22.
Bryn Gatland lined up the kick from over 40 metres out but much to Robinson’s relief, his attempt went wide and the Blues held on for a 24-22 win, their first of the season.
The sentiment online was predictably critical after the Blues did everything to give away the game from a position that most sides would win from. Blues fans were put through heartbreaking agony before Gatland’s kick absolved their pain.
One fan wrote ‘this is too much’ after a ‘comically bad’ final half minute of the game, with the Blues lack of ‘rugby IQ’ at a level that ‘completely astounds’.
Blues alomst gave it away again. Leon McDonald's heart must be in a bad state after that last passage of play. 😂#BLUvCHI #SuperRugbyPacific
— aRambunctious_Sod (@MarkofiA) March 5, 2022
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Supporting the Blues should need an Insurance cover. This is too much.
It's the hope that kills you.#BLUvCHI— Polycap (@Lauaki16) March 5, 2022
I mean it's a win, but that is a comically bad last 30 seconds from the Blues 😂 #BLUvCHI
— Jake Beleski (@JBeleski) March 5, 2022
The amount of devices broken in the Auckland region when the Blues are playing must be ridiculous.#BLUvCHI
— Matt (@M0_wen) March 5, 2022
The rugby IQ or lack thereof from the Blues in the closing stages completely astounds me. Just no brains whatsoever. They get the W but far out.#BLUvCHI
— Eamon (@Mondo512) March 5, 2022
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Well not sure we deserved that. But after last week will take it. Bloody well played @ChiefsRugby though #BLUvCHI
— Just Get Boosted Maloney (@jayjaymaloney) March 5, 2022
The Blues were also rather touchy about proceedings after the win, going out of the way to question the opinion of New Zealand writer Kyle McDonald.
They implied that McDonald’s comment around ‘snatching defeat from the jaws of victory’ was out of line for a columnist who writes about mental health, despite most of the reaction being of the same vein after the thrilling finish.
Imagine tweeting this as a “mental health” columnist. 🙄
— The Blues (@BluesRugbyTeam) March 5, 2022
The man’s entitled to an opinion.
— TwA75 (@TwAck75) March 5, 2022
Comments on RugbyPass
Kok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to comments