Late miss hands Blues win over Chiefs
The Blues have avoided a second consecutive heart-breaking loss to begin the Super Rugby Pacific season after Chiefs substitute Bryn Gatland missed a long-range penalty kick to win the game.
The Blues won 24-22 at Eden Park, Harry Plummer nailing a sideline conversion to put them clear after Mark Telea scored a try with five minutes to play.
After losing by a point to the fast-finishing Hurricanes last week, the Blues appeared to have butchered it again when they gave away a penalty in the final seconds.
A penalty 45 metres out and on an angle gave Gatland the chance for the Chiefs to go 2-0 this season, but he pushed his kick wide.
“I’m speechless at the moment,” Blues captain Dalton Papalii said
“You don’t want to know what I was thinking in my head [as Gatland lined up the kick].
“We talked about winning the small moments, but we made it tough for ourselves.”
Blues No.12 and former New Zealand Rugby League star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck had a handful of bright touches but were largely ineffective as Chiefs scrumhalf Brad Weber scored twice in his 100th game.
His first came from nothing, the No.9 kicking to no man’s land and somehow collecting after two bounces in traffic and darting out of traffic to score.
And from their next meaningful play, Etene Nanai-Seturo sliced through the line to make it 12-3.
The Blues hit back through Caleb Clarke, the winger forced to wait for a long cut-out pass but still powering past three men to score in the corner.
Hoskins Sotutu got the Blues back in the contest with a brilliant solo effort, charging down a kick then grubbering ahead for himself to score.
Weber’s second came off the back of a scrum before a penalty pushed them five points clear.
The Blues found a way though as Beauden Barrett returned from concussion off the bench and fellow All Black Anton Lienert-Brown (shoulder) also made his injury return from the pine.
Chiefs and All Blacks captain Sam Cane was a nuisance in the ruck to help his side within a kick of victory but admitted they had given the Blues too many chances.
“There’s not much between any of them (New Zealand teams); it’s going to come down to small moments in games,” he said.
“It’s about minimising your own errors and we had just a couple too many of those.”
The scorers
For the Blues
Tries: Clarke, Sotutu, Telea
Cons: Plummer 2, Perofeta
Pen: Plummer
For the Chiefs
Tries: Weber 2, Nanai-Seturo
Cons: Ioane, Gatland
Pen: Gatland
Teams:
Blues: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Harry Plummer, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papalii (captain), 6 Tom Robinson, 5 Josh Goodhue, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Kurt Eklund, 1 Alex Hodgman.
Replacements: 16 Ricky Riccitelli, 17 Ofa Tuungafasi, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Adrian Choat, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Beauden Barrett/Zarn Sullivan, 23 AJ Lam.
Chiefs: 15 Chase Tiatia, 14 Shaun Stevenson, 13 Alex Nankivell, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Brad Weber (co-captain), 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Sam Cane (co-captain), 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Sione Mafileo, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Aidan Ross.
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Kaylum Boshier, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Bryn Gatland, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown.
Referee: Paul Williams
Assistant referees: Angus Mabey, Mike Winter
TMO: Richard Kelly
