1
Eight possible bolters for the All Blacks' 44-man squad to tour South Africa
33
{{item.n}}
Blues v Reds takes: Beauden Barrett follows suit, Blues' underrated weapon
at One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch
1 Comment
Share 
The Blues have secured an important Super Point, 36-33, victory over the Queensland Reds at Christchurch’s One New Zealand Stadium, claiming a 3-0 clean sweep for New Zealand sides over their Australian counterparts on Anzac weekend.
The scores were tied at half, where the Reds came back from 21-7 down to head into the sheds with a genuine foothold in the contest.
Vern Cotter’s Blues had some standout performances from their backline, including Napier-born fullback Zarn Sullivan, while Dalton Papali’i led from the front in the forward pack.
VIDEO
Filipo Daugunu impressed in his 60-minute shift, before Reds youngster Treyvon Pritchard helped send the game to Super Point.
Here are some takeaways from One New Zealand Stadium.
Anton Segner tested by Wallabies back row
German-born loose-forward Anton Segner has won the Blues man-of-the-match award for three straight games before heading into a huge matchup against the Reds. The 24-year-old has been exceptional this season, physical on both sides of the ball and a reliable lineout option.
Pundits have floated the idea of Segner making a case for All Blacks selection, but Saturday night’s battle against Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson, and Joe Brial was a test of where he’s really at.
One game doesn’t exactly define Segner’s All Blacks’ chances, but it certainly put things into perspective against an international-level back row.
The Blues’ loose-forward’s first part to play was a leap to claim a high-ball, done perfectly, before giving away a penalty in the build-up to the Reds’ first try minutes later. He was busy for the rest of the first half, but Wilson’s skill set and power, and McReight’s ability on both sides of the ball, overshadowed Segner’s busyness.
Two missed tackles in the first ten minutes of the second half went unpunished by the Reds, but the No.6 bounced back with a crucial turnover for his side over the ball inside their 22. McReight continued to make stops defensively, while the Wallabies captain got his hands dirty in the second half.
Overall, it was a valiant effort by Segner and the rest of his Blues loose-forward trio, but it’s safe to say the Reds’ back row won the battle, but lost the war.
First-fives doing Dave Rennie no favours
Beauden Barrett’s played 145 Test matches for the All Blacks compared to Ruben Love’s five, but there were close comparisons in terms of performance on Saturday night in Christchurch.
Love had his moments against the Brumbies, where his electrifying pace put doubt in the defence’s minds on multiple occasions, while Barrett’s classy playmaking set up two tries in the first half.
But the Hurricanes’ playmaker opted for some interesting decisions when the game was all but over, throwing some unnecessary offloads to ground.
Barrett then showed inaccuracy with some simple ball handling in the second half of the second game on Saturday, which wasn’t up to his game management standards.
Surprisingly, the experienced All Black opted to kick the ball out of play with 90 seconds remaining, gifting the Reds an opportunity to tie the game in the dying stages. That they did, sending the match to Super Point.
Super Point lasted all of five minutes before McReight’s infringement allowed Barrett to ice the game at Te Kaha, but there are definitely question marks around the two No.10 performances on Saturday.
Blues’ underrated weapon
If Dave Rennie didn’t have Zarn Sullivan in his All Blacks picture before the Super Round in Christchurch, that may have changed after Saturday night’s contest. Sullivan’s first-half double showcased what the 25-year-old can do. Power, pace, a huge left boot, and some silky skills were on show during the first 40 minutes.
Sullivan glided past defenders during both his first-half scores, often holding the ball in two hands for safety as he proved hard to stop for Reds defenders.
He did have some shaky moments, one under a high ball and two charge downs, but overall it was a promising showing by the Blues’ fullback.
Sullivan’s second half was quieter, and he had one more kick charged down, but the 25-year-old was near the best on ground with his first-half double. When the Blues were firing, it was largely down to the fullback’s smooth skills.
Vern Cotter’s double bluff
One thing was a given on Saturday: Blues head coach Vern Cotter is heading to the Queensland Reds in 2026, but one that wasn’t was the game plan under the roof by the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific champions.
Cotter’s style is simple. One-off ball carriers up the middle, denting the defensive line with over-the-advantage-line carries. This wasn’t the case against the Reds, where their backs had the majority of the ball as they attempted to stretch the Reds’ defence.
The Blues’ first-half tries were largely down to the work of the backline, where they created constant overlaps on the dry and hard pitch, where conditions weren’t an issue. Cotter’s side has the cattle to play an exciting brand of rugby, but they haven’t always used it often enough.
In the second half, too, the Blues spread the ball wide as they looked to isolate the wide players for the Reds. It didn’t always work, which could be due to the limited times they’ve employed that type of game-plan this season.
The Blues benefited from some ill-discipline by the Reds in the second half, allowing Cotter’s forwards to roll up their sleeves and score points through brute strength, but the change in game plan was evident in the first 40.
