Blues bury Tahs' play-off hopes
ROUND 16 WRAP: The defending champion Blues have run in seven unanswered tries to extinguish the Waratahs’ Super Rugby Pacific play-off hopes in Auckland on Saturday.
The Waratahs’ season of promise has ended in despair with an ugly, record-breaking 46-6 Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Blues in Auckland.
The Waratahs needed to defeat the defending champions for the first time at Eden Park in 16 years to keep their play-off hopes alive.
Instead, Dan McKellar’s depleted side copped a seven-tries-to-nil drubbing at New Zealand rugby’s burial ground on Saturday.
* In the later matches on Saturday, a comprehensive 64-12 victory for the Hurricanes confirmed the Blues will face the table-topping Chiefs in Hamilton for a place in the semifinals, while the Reds sealed their play-off spot with a 52-7 rout of Fijian Drua..
The preliminary play-offs were confirmed, with the Chiefs, Crusaders and Brumbies earning home ground advantage in the first week of the play-offs.
The action begins in Christchurch on Friday, with the resurgent Crusaders hosting the Reds.
After missing out on the play-offs last year, the Crusaders bounced back to form in 2025 to finish second on the ladder following a dramatic last-round victory over the Brumbies.
Their opponents, the Reds, led the competition after seven rounds, but a crucial home defeat to the Hurricanes in Round 15 ended their aspirations of securing a top-three spot.
The action shifts north to Hamilton on Saturday, where the top-of-the-table Chiefs will take on the defending champion Blues.
(Continue below …)
* For the opening half an hour in Auckland, a famous victory looked possible – until the wheels fell off in a sorry, anticlimactic conclusion to what had been the Waratahs’ best start to a Super campaign since 2009.
But a disastrous, coach-killing four-minute lapse before the interval ultimately cruelled the dreamy visitors before the Blues ran amok with four tries in a second-half clinic.
Despite being without injured stars Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Max Jorgensen, skipper Jake Gordon and flanks Rob Leota and Charlie Gamble, the Waratahs were right in the must-win game for both sides after rookie flyhalf Jack Bowen slotted a 34th-minute penalty goal to reduce the deficit to four points.
Playing with spirit, as they should with their season on the line, the Tahs had wing Andrew Kellaway and rookie scrumhalf Teddy Wilson to thank for desperate try-saving tackles to stay in the contest.
But a Bowen blunder, when he slipped and failed to find touch for a clearing kick, and a touch of magic from two-time world player of the player Beauden Barrett blew the game wide open for the Blues in a twinkling.
Two tries in three minutes to brilliant centre Rieko Ioane, the second after the halftime siren when Waratahs opposite Henry O’Donnell couldn’t handle a probing kick from Barrett near halfway, suddenly extended the Blues’ tenuous lead from 10-6 to 24-6.
There was no coming back for the Waratahs when fullback Corey Evans strolled over untouched shortly after the break to extend the Blues’ lead to 31-6.
The Blues’ sixth try, to hooker Ricky Riccitelli, was more than academic.
The hosts’ seventh five-pointer was more significant to Ioane, who equalled All Blacks great Doug Howlett’s Blues try-scoring record with 55 after beating three Waratahs defenders to another menacing Barrett kick.
The Blues’ biggest-ever victory margin over the Waratahs did not look likely when Bowen’s two first-half penalties almost wiped out Mark Tele’a’s 11th-minute try and then Ioane’s first strike off a deft AJ Lam grubber.
But an hour later and the Blues were anxiously awaiting their play-off fate, needing the fourth-placed Hurricanes to deny Moana an unlikely bonus-point triumph away in the New Zealand’s capital to push the title-holders through to the play-offs.
All the Saturday scores and scorers follow below …
BLUES 46-6 WARATAHS
The scorers
For the Blues
Tries: Telea 2, Ioane 3, Evans, Riccitelli
Cons: B Barrett 4
Pens: Plummer
For the Waratahs
Pens: Bowen 2
Teams
BLUES: 15 Corey Evans, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 AJ Lam, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Anton Segner, 5 Laghlan McWhannell, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Joshua Fusitu’a.
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Jordan Lay, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Josh Beehre, 20 Adrian Choat, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Harry Plummer, 23 Cole Forbes.
WARATAHS: 15 Lawson Creighton, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Henry O’Donnell, 12 Joey Walton, 11 Triston Reilly, 10 Jack Bowen, 9 Teddy Wilson, 8 Langi Gleeson, 7 Jamie Adamson, 6 Hugh Sinclair (captain), 5 Miles Amatosero, 4 Fergus Lee-Warner, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 David Porecki, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Mahe Vailanu, 17 Tom Lambert, 18 Daniel Botha, 19 Ben Grant, 20 Leafi Talataina, 21 Jack Grant, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Darby Lancaster.
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant referees: Paul Williams, George Myers
TMO: Brett Cronan
HURRICANES 35-7 MOANA PASIFIKA
The scorers
For the Hurricanes
Tries: Devery, Flanders, Roigard, Umaga-Jensen 2
Cons: Love 5
For Moana Pasifika
Try: Tupou Ta’eiloa
Con: Pellegrini
Yellow card: Abraham Pole (Moana Pasifika, 60)
Teams
HURRICANES: 15 Ruben Love, 14 Bailyn Sullivan, 13 Billy Proctor (co-captain), 12 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 11 Fatafehi Fineanganofo, 10 Brett Cameron, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi (co-captain), 6 Devan Flanders, 5 Hugo Plummer, 4 Zach Gallagher, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Jacob Devery, 1 Xavier Numia.
Replacements: 16 Raymond Tuputupu, 17 Pouri Rakete-Stones, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Will Tucker, 20 Brad Shields (co-captain), 21 Ereatara Enari, 22 Jone Rova, 23 Tjay Clarke.
MOANA PASIFIKA: 15 Tevita Ofa, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 13 Lalomilo Lalamilo, 12 Julian Savea, 11 Solomon Alaimalo, 10 Patrick Pellegrini, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, 7 Ardie Savea (captain), 6 Miracle Faiilagi, 5 Samuel Slade, 4 Tom Savage, 3 Feleti Sae-Ta’ufo’ou, 2 Millennium Sanerivi, 1 Tito Tuipulotu.
Replacements: 16 Samiuela Moli, 17 Abraham Pole, 18 Chris Apoua, 19 Allan Craig, 20 Lotu Inisi, 21 Melani Matavao, 22 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23 Pepesana Patafilo.
Referee: Angus Gardner
Assistant referees: Matt Kellahan, Graham Cooper
TMO: Glenn Newman
REDS 52-7 FIJIAN DRUA
The scorers
For the Reds
Tries: Anderson 4, Canham, Flook, Daugunu, Brial
Cons: Lynagh 5, Smith
For Fijian Drua
Try: Hetet
Con: Armstrong-Ravula
Yellow cards: Iosefo Masi (Fijian Drua, 10), Etonia Waqa (Fijian Drua, 54)
Teams
REDS: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Lachie Anderson, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Tim Ryan, 10 Tom Lynagh, 9 Tate McDermott (captain), 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Joe Brial, 5 Ryan Smith, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Zane Nonggorr, 2 Richie Asiata, 1 Sef Fa’agase.
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18 Nick Bloomfield, 19 Angus Blyth, 20 John Bryant, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 23 Filipo Daugunu.
FIJIAN DRUA: 15 Selestino Ravutaumada, 14 Ponipate Loganimasi, 13 Iosefo Masi, 12 Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, 11 Taniela Rakuro, 10 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 9 Philip Baselala, 8 Kitione Salawa, 7 Motikiai Murray, 6 Etonia Waqa, 5 Isoa Nasilasila, 4 Mesake Vocevoce, 3 Samuela Tawake, 2 Tevita Ikanivere (captain), 1 Haereiti Hetet.
Replacements: 16 Zuriel Togiatama, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Mesake Doge, 19 Joseva Tamani, 20 Elia Canakiavata, 21 Simione Kuruvoli, 22 Inia Tabuavou, 23 Isikeli Rabitu.
Referee: Damon Murphy
Assistant referees: Jordan Way, Jeremy Markey
TMO: James Leckie
