![]() He linked on the 22 with Hanigan, who had the pace to score. Blues center Rieko Ioane slapped back a kick by Barrett and the ball fell into the arms of Waratahs center Izaia Perese who broke away from confused defense. The Waratahs stung the Blues early with a try to lock Ned Hanigan. “There’s still work to be done but we’re pretty happy with that performance.” “We came out tonight wanting to get the (win) and I’m proud of the boys’ efforts,” Blues captain Dalton Papali’i said. The Blues’ win prolonged a 27-year drought for Australian teams, who have never won a playoff match in New Zealand since Super Rugby began in 1996. It was Telea’s 12th try of the season, equaling the club record set by All Blacks winger Doug Howlett in 2003. Zarn Sullivan’s try in the left-hand corner in the 53rd minute extinguished any hope of a Waratahs comeback and an intercept try by winger Mark Telea in the 66th minute was the icing on the cake. Hooker Ricky Riccitelli scored six minutes into the second half to make it 24-7 to take the match away from the Waratahs. The Waratahs also showed tenacity in defense, though they were significantly outplayed.Ī try to prop Nepo Laulala in the 38th was pivotal, giving the Blues a 17-7 halftime lead after a patchy first-half performance. They squandered a lot of possession against an under-strength Waratahs team, mainly through flyhalf Beauden Barrett’s aimless kicking. The Blues conceded the first try to the Waratahs after only three minutes but went to win by five tries to two with a performance which was only sporadically up to their highest standards. They remain on track to win the competition in its second season after a 41-12 win in a quarterfinal Friday over the New South Wales Waratahs.īut they now face a tough semifinal next weekend, possibly against the defending champion Crusaders. AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) - The Auckland-based Blues narrowly failed to win the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific title last year, losing to the Crusaders in the final.
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