Blues vs Chiefs

2022 - 3 - 5

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Newshub"

Live updates: Super Rugby Pacific - Blues v Chiefs at Auckland's ... (Newshub)

Join us from 4:35pm as the Blues look to bounce back and notch their first win of 2022.

Recap: Blues v Chiefs - Super Rugby Pacific (Stuff.co.nz)

Leon MacDonald's side bounce back from last weekend's stunning collapse against the Hurricanes with a valuable win in Auckland.

Chiefs' late miss hands Blues Super win (ESPN Australia)

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 ...

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. 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. 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.

Blues player ratings vs Chiefs | Super Rugby Pacific (RugbyPass)

The Battle of the Bombays went right down to the wire, with both teams exchanging tries throughout the game.

Put the cherry on top by icing the conversion to put the Blues in the lead. Put in the game with Clarke still in the bin. Showed a steady hand to lead around the blues backline but couldn’t get into any rhythm in attack. His fast service allowed the Blues attack to keep the tempo up and stay in the game. Was solid in defence with the Chiefs running the ball down his channel all day. Was tireless in defence and ran the lineout well. Was able to find space one-out from the ruck to get a few balls free to his fellow forwards. He will be forgiven for causing an obstruction by getting in front of Tu’ungafasi to give the Chiefs a shot at winning the game on full-time. Was excellent in the forward battle. The Blues hit back late to take the lead with 10 minutes to go. Subbed in the 52 minute. The team that was narrowly defeated by the Hurricanes in their first game of the season was retained, with the only change to line-up seeing Dalton Papalii take his place at flanker and captain.

Tuivasa-Sheck injured as Blues get out of jail (Wide World of Sports)

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's Blues get out of jail as Chiefs rue late penalty miss in Super Rugby Pacific.

Skill execution held the Blues back somewhat, but the Chiefs rode their momentum well and all but stole the contest at the death. As it is both teams are now 1-1 from two matches, with plenty still to work on. An excellent contest between two teams with a willingness to attack with ball in hand produced a solid spectacle, and nailbiting finish. But they still largely struggled for fluency as they got in front via Sotutu's early score but then found themselves playing catchup after Weber's second touchdown put the Chiefs in the box seat. But it was a closely run thing, with the Blues relying on an 80th-minute penalty miss by Bryn Gatland to secure the victory. They got there via Mark Telea's 76th-minute try off a nicely executed backline move that saw the outstanding Stephen Perofeta put his wing over wide out with a beautifully judged draw and pass.

Blues get out of jail as Chiefs miss big chance (New Zealand Herald)

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Beauden Barrett and the Blues' other headline acts took a backseat as Stephen Perofeta produced a match-winning performance to snatch a ...

Chiming in from fullback he hit probing lines and regularly popped into the playmaker role. After the second lineout move, Etene Nanai-Seturo converted an overlap to give the visitors an early 12-3 advantage. At that point, the Chiefs were in control. Weber's second try came after Caleb Clarke was sent to the bin for an intentional knock-down. Weber's hoof downfield took a favourable bounce, and his speed did the rest. The Blues' return from the Queenstown bubble to Eden Park did little to inspire an improved performance.