Vern Cotter addresses game-management concern after Super Point win

Blues head coach Vern Cotter was tasked with trying to overcome his future side at One New Zealand Stadium on Saturday evening, where it took a Beauden Barrett penalty in Super Point to claim the points.

The Blues had the ball with just over two minutes remaining in the middle of the field, where some old-fashioned pick-and-go’s could have sealed it for Cotter’s side. They opted to spread it a couple of passes to the side of the ruck, before Torian Barnes coughed up the ball on the back of Stephen Perofeta’s reverse ball.

Barrett then took matters into his own hands with 90 seconds remaining, kicking the ball out of play instead of holding onto the ball to try close out the game, which can often result in an attacking team penalty.

Cotter, who described the contest as “one of the toughest games” they’ve played this season, said that the lapse of concentration during the first half was more frustrating than the ending.

“I think there’s context in everything, we got two tries up in the first half and the Reds are a very good team, and they move the ball to space so we gave them fast ball and walked backwards off collisions a couple of times, which gave them confidence to develop their game,” Cotter said to media post-match.

“And it cost us the two tries that they came back with before halftime, we started the second half with a try, which what we needed, and then we had two tries.

“I think the Taufa Funaki injury, with his shoulder going, and then having to bring Stephen Perofeta on at No.9, we really had to work hard. Then Patrick Tuipulotu’s coming back into it so we didn’t have him either.

“So the guys dug deep, and I think that’s really important moving forward, that you can get yourselves out of potentially a tight situation.”

On how the Super Point actually played out, Cotter said that his side risked giving the ball back to the Reds, a risk that eventuated in a Fraser McReight infringement to the side of the ruck.

“We had five minutes. It’s clear heads, we knew we were at and the most important thing was getting the kick off and then the next most important thing is they were always going to give the ball back to us in a contestable situation,” Cotter said in Christchurch.

“We needed to catch it, then hold it and I thought we had to risk a bit to get the penalty and we moved the ball from side to side, and went short side and took it back to the middle. I think the boys were brave then to shift that ball, we could have just tried to go up the middle but we didn’t.

“We shifted their body shapes and finally got the penalty that we needed and if the penalty is in the middle of the paddock, it’s much easier to kick than one on the touchline. So I think there was clear heads and I had five minutes to think about things, and we got what we wanted.”