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'That would have killed me': Why Blues head coach MacDonald was finally relieved
The Blues 32-20 win over the Highlanders went over 90-minutes of play as both sides searched for an extra try that would have given them a bonus point.
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For the Blues, another five pointer would have given them the three-try bonus point while the Highlanders were after a losing bonus point.
“We were pretty keen, there was an opportunity for us to try and grab a bonus point and them to grab one as well and both teams didn’t want to let it go, did they?” MacDonald said in the post-match press conference.
However, this week’s extra ten minutes were pleasant for head coach Leon MacDonald who has endured two restless finishes over the previous fortnight.
The Blues squandered a 32-14 lead against the Hurricanes in the final ten minutes to be pipped 33-32 in Auckland before almost capitulating against the Chiefs after the buzzer with two penalties in a row that gave Bryn Gatland a chance to steal another win.
MacDonald said the final ten minutes ‘have been hard to watch’ this year and that if the game had been on the line for a third time in a row it ‘would have killed’ him.
“Good for our subs who came on late to get some game time but the guys who had to play 80, the last 10 minutes for the Blues this year have been hard to watch from the coaches stand.
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“I’m just glad the game wasn’t on the line the last 10 minutes because that would have killed me.”
The Blues were sloppy in the first half as the plucky Highlanders built a 13-3 halftime lead but the home side came out quickly to assert dominance with two tries inside the first ten minutes to take the lead back.
Rieko Ioane scored in the 63rd minute when the Blues recovered a spilled bomb through makeshift second five Bryce Heem, who rounded the corner of the Highlanders’ defence before finding an offload back inside to the All Blacks centre.
Ioane’s try put the Blues in further control at 25-13, a position that became a little uncomfortable when Shannon Frizell stormed over to close the gap to 25-20. A try from close range by Perofeta with two minutes to go was able to put MacDonald at ease.
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“I think the set-piece was a lot tidier,” MacDonald said of the improved second half effort, while also crediting his new second five Bryce Heem.
“There was a lot of decisions at scrum time going both ways. The lineout wasn’t quite on. In the second half, I thought we mauled well, we were able to play off the top well and our scrum was solid and we were able to play off the back of that and generally get over the gain line.”
“I thought Bryce, he had a really good game at 12, given that he’s moved in this week as well. He missed training yesterday and that didn’t help so he hasn’t had a lot of reps in there so all those sorts of things combined and led to us being a bit clumpy but I thought generally once we did get our game going in the second half we were fine.”
Comments on RugbyPass
An on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to comments