Super Rugby Pacific: Fast-starting Blues beat Brumbies to reach final

The Blues bludgeoned the Brumbies 34-20 in Auckland to book a place in the Super Rugby Pacific final – but victory may have come at a cost.

A Blues side basing their game once again on forward power scored four of their five tries in the first 20 minutes to take control of the semi-final at Eden Park as they opened up a 27-13 halftime lead.

Their only try in an even second half was scored by No.8 Hoskins Sotutu, giving him 12 for the season.

That lifts Sotutu level with Crusaders winger Sevu Reece as the competition’s top try-scorer this year and also equals the most tries by any forward in a Super Rugby season.

Of concern was All Blacks forwards Dalton Papali’i and Ofa Tu’ungafasi both leaving the game with injury in the second spell.

The nature of in-form prop Tu’ungafasi’s ailment was unclear while Papali’i took a head knock and reportedly failed an HIA assessment.

Papali’i told Sky Sport he thought he would be cleared to play the final.

“I’m sweet, I think I just got a bit of a hit to the teeth, and I’m already missing one so the other ones are hurting a little bit more. But I’m sweet, I’m good to go,” he said.

“It means a lot. This group has been through a lot and there’s a lot of old boys who have been with this team for so many years. We’ve got one more game to go.

“I want to say credit to the Brumbies. They are a tough Aussie team and we always expect a test match calibre game against them.”

Standout flanker Papali’i was leading the Blues in the absence of regular skipper Patrick Tuipulotu, whose campaign was ended by a knee injury suffered in last week’s quarter-final win over Fijian Drua.

The Blues will face the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between the Hurricanes and Chiefs in Wellington tomorrow, meaning a New Zealand winner is guaranteed for a 10th straight year.

Coach Vern Cotter’s team – who have won 15 straight matches at Eden Park – will have a shot at winning their first full Super Rugby title since they clinched their third crown back in 2003.

It was a fourth successive semi-final exit for the two-time champion Brumbies and continues the record of Australian teams having never won a semi-final on New Zealand soil.

They had won seven straight games coming into the match, with their previous loss being a 46-7 hammering from the Blues at Eden Park in round nine.

Their chances weren’t helped by two Wallabies being ruled out soon before kickoff.

Flanker Tom Hooper couldn’t play because of illness while veteran prop James Slipper re-aggravated a calf muscle injury that has sidelined him for several weeks.

Brumbies captain Allan Ala’alatoa said they were off their game in the crucial opening exchanges.

“We weren’t clinical coming out of our end and I think we gave them three balls off our kick-off receipt and they made us pay through tries,” he told Sky Sport.

“You can’t give a side like that, that ascendancy at the beginning of the game. We tried to fight hard from there but I think they got too much of a lead.”

As they have for much of their campaign, the Blues dominated up front, winning a slew of scrum penalties throughout the contest.

They were also forced to defend fiercely, with the Brumbies having an edge in possession through their trademark phase play.

Winger Caleb Clarke put the hosts 24-6 ahead inside the opening quarter when he crossed out wide off the back of a dominant scrum.

The opening try came from the game’s first passage of play, with the Blues using a patient build-up before second five-eighth AJ Lam crossed with less than two minutes into the contest.

Close-range tries followed to hooker Ricky Riccitelli and lock Sam Darry, with the Brumbies’ only response coming via two penalties to first five-eighth Noah Lolesio.

The Brumbies appeared to have scored their first try but winger Corey Toole was bundled out in the corner by scything tackle from impressive Blues captain Dalton Papali’i.

Rob Valetini finally crossed the tryline for the visitors but the Blues scored the final points of the first half through a Harry Plummer penalty goal.

After a long period on defence after the break, the Blues surged downfield to set up Sotutu’s try.

The Brumbies gave themselves a glimmer of hope when reserve flanker Luke Reimer crossed with 10 minutes remaining but their chances plunged when lock Nick Frost was shown a yellow card for taking out Clarke in the air from the kickoff.

Score:

Blues 34 (AJ Lam, Ricky Riccitelli, Sam Darry, Caleb Clarke, Hoskins Sotutu tries; Harry Plummer 1pen, 3con) Brumbies 20 (Rob Valetini, Luke Reimer tries; Noah Lolesio 2pen, 2con). Halftime: 27-13.