Blues coach Leon MacDonald has described his team’s 25-0 victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday night as the best performance of his four-year tenure.
The win, which came despite the Blues playing with 13 players at one point after Luke Romano and Sam Nock were yellow carded just before halftime, takes the Blues above the Crusaders on the points table. It will also boost their confidence ahead of a potentially monumental confrontation between the two sides in Christchurch next Friday night.
The Blues, who have won six games in a row, are the form New Zealand team of the competition after the Crusaders sneaked home in a controversial 24-21 win over the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday afternoon. Last weekend they similarly struggled to subdue the Highlanders in Christchurch.
It means MacDonald, a former Crusaders player and coach, will have high hopes of more success for the Blues in the next round after successfully navigating his side through a recent stretch of three games in eight days.
“I have been really proud of a few performances – obviously winning the final last year,” MacDonald said of the Blues’ Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final win over the Highlanders at Eden Park in 2021.
Luke Romano had 'nerves' before swapping Crusaders for Blues
“There was a win over in Cape Town against a really strong Stormers team [in 2020], and this would probably top them both, just in terms of the quality of the opposition and coming off three games last week.
"To be able to turn around with that sort of energy on the park makes me hugely proud and not just the players [on the field]. There was a whole squad that contributed to that game. It shows us where we can get to and now our challenge is to make sure we can try to do that every week.”
The Blues’ defensive effort in shutting out the Chiefs despite their numerical disadvantage was the major talking point afterwards but just as important was the set piece efficiency and pure attacking edge displayed by the Blues – brilliantly harnessed by Beauden Barrett at No.10. It suggests they will be a major challenge for the Crusaders.
“The Crusaders in Christchurch is about as good as it gets in world rugby,” MacDonald said. “It’s going to be a huge challenge. I know they’ll be waiting for us eagerly and the boys are already talking about going down there and getting into it.”
MacDonald’s men shrugged off last week’s suspension of wing Caleb Clarke and the late withdrawal of halfback Finlay Christie to dominate the Chiefs, who lost All Blacks midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown to a potentially serious shoulder injury during the match.
Midfielder Rieko Ioane and wing Mark Telea were constant threats, and a forward pack including Romano and double try-scorer Mark Robinson played with an energy and aggression the home side couldn’t match.
“Everyone played well,” MacDonald said. “When your back’s against the wall like that we had a choice of absorbing but we decided to counter punch and keep coming back at the them.
"The leadership was outstanding tonight in a game sense. We can be proud of that and it gives us a lot of confidence coming into what’s going to be a huge game this week against the Crusaders.”
Skipper Dalton Papalii, who celebrated his 50th game for the Blues, said losing Nock and Romano before halftime were potentially heavy blows
“We didn’t feel stressed out there and that’s a credit to the boys and culture we have”.
MacDonald, who has seen Clarke and prop Nepo Laulala suspended for red cards in recent weeks said: “When you’re defending you get penalised, basically, it’s just the flow of the game.
“We’re working really hard on disciplined. We know how important it is.”
The Chiefs had two tries ruled out but coach Clayton McMillan afterwards wondered whether building scoreboard pressure via penalty kicks may have been a better option than trying, and failing, to breach the Blues’ defence.
“We were chasing the game and they were just too good – they shut us out,” he said.
Chiefs skipper Sam Cane said: “Their defence was too good. They scrambled well and took just about every opportunity and we didn’t take a single one which hurts. It sucks, it’s not good enough.”
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