Blues blitz sinks Brumbies in Auckland
by Dan Retief | 19 March 2010 (10:15)
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| Joe Rokocoko © Gallo Images |
The Blues produced a four-try blitz in the 15 minutes after half time to set up a crucial 39-34 victory over the Brumbies in their Vodacom Super 14 rugby match played at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
Blow-by-blow scoring
Striving to get their season back on track and provide skipper Keven Mealamu with a win in his 100th match in a Blues jersey the Aucklanders went to the break 10-16 down before turning the match on its head with a burst of scoring at the start of the second half.
Quick-fire tries by man of the match Rene Ranger, Benson Stanley, Joe Rokocoko (his second) and Isaia Toeava rocked the Brumbies as the Blues scored 26 points to jump into a lead of 36-22 -- the visitors being able to register only two penalties by Matt Giteau.
Blues coach Pat Lam said at half time that he wanted his charges to “trust the system” and his admonishment paid off almost immediately as the Brumbies failed to secure the kick-off, conceded a penalty and Mealamu instructed Stephen Brett to go for touch and set up a lineout.
And the next few minutes turned out to be vintage Blues for Auckland fans enjoying being back at Eden Park while the old stadium undergoes renovations for next year’s Rugby World Cup.
Ranger brushed off the tackles of Giteau, Tyrone Smith, Francois Fainifo and Adam Ashley-Cooper to throw himself over the line in the 41st minute; Benson Stanley was on the end of a sweeping move right from the ensuing kick-off in the 43rd; Joe Rokocoko was unchallenged as he pulled down a pin-point cross-kick from Brett in the 49th and Isaia Toeava was over in the the 54th as he ran onto Brett’s reverse pass.
The Brumbies had made a good fist of it with a more conservative approach than the eternally error-prone Blues in the first half but their normally secure defence, especially in midfield, let them down.
However the men from Canberra, without Stirling Mortlock for this outing, know how to grind it out and caused panic in Blues ranks as they scored the final two tries of an exciting match through Huia Edmonds and Patrick Phibbs, edging the score to 36-34 with one of Giteau’s conversion attempts bouncing away off an upright, before Brett settled it for the home-side with a point-blank dropped goal.
Scorers were:
Blues (10) 39:
Tries by Joe Rokocoko (22 min), Rene Ranger (41 min), Benson Stanley (43 min), Rokocoko (49 min), Isaia Toeava (54 min). Stephen Brett kicked four conversions, a penalty and a dropped goal.
Brumbies (16) 34: Tries by Salesi Ma’afu (9 min), Huia Edmonds (58 min), Patrick Phibbs (75 min). Matt Giteau kicked two conversions and five penalties.
Read more on the Super 14 page.
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