Super Rugby: Blues must rediscover mojo for Chiefs showdown

Analysis: The Super Rugby upsets continue, as does the defending champions' penchant for poor decision making. Patrick McKendry wraps up round four.

This 21-20 defeat to the Brumbies at Eden Park means the defending champions have now lost three of their first four matches and, for a third time, have lacked leadership and ideas about regaining control of a game in the second half.

Beauden Barrett’s fractured hand — forcing him from the game at halftime and sidelining him for several weeks — was a huge blow because he looked sharp and assured in his first start in the No.10 jersey.

Would he have asked skipper Patrick Tuipulotu to take the three points with 14 minutes remaining when the Blues were up 20-18? It appeared the logical choice. Instead, they went for the attacking lineout which the Brumbies stole, a significant win which boosted their opponents’ self belief.

A late penalty from Ryan Lonergan helped the Brumbies to their first win at Eden Park since 2013 — and a deserved one.

How do the Blues get their mojo back? With a showdown against the Chiefs looming in Hamilton on Saturday, it has to happen in a hurry.

We’ll touch on the Hurricanes’ tough start soon – they are in 11th and last place, one below the Blues – but, for neutral fans, there was plenty to like about Moana Pasifika’s 40-31 victory at North Harbour Stadium.

Moana did it with commitment and tactical excellence, with first-five Patrick Pellegrini revelling in his first start of the season, and they did it without inspirational skipper Ardie Savea in the second half.

Unlike the Blues, the loss of one of their most influential players at halftime did not appear to faze them as they built on their scoreboard advantage with two converted tries in the space of five minutes after the break.

Watching Savea line up in the tunnel alongside former teammate and Canes co-captain Brad Shields was dramatic in itself, but kudos to Moana Pasifika and Sky Sports for the dramatic almost cinematic opening of the tunnel doors by Moana kingpins Sir Bryan Williams and Sir Michael Jones before the players ran out.

It was a significant gesture ahead of a significant result and another raucous crowd added to what is becoming quite the vibe on Auckland’s North Shore.

One wonders whether Hurricanes coach Craig Laidlaw regrets leaving halfback Cam Roigard on the bench until the second half – by which time, Moana Pasifika had built what turned out to be an unstoppable momentum.

The same goes for Du’Plessi Kirifi, the Canes’ loose forward. Both Kirifi and Roigard are two of their team’s most impactful players.

The "Bomb Squad" bench business worked for the Chiefs in the early rounds but there are clearly drawbacks if coaches aren’t flexible enough to change plans on the fly.

Having said that, it’s a long competition and players’ batteries need recharging.

What’s not up for question is the hole the Hurricanes have found themselves in. It’s clear they are missing Jordie Barrett, hugely.

Another feel-good story of the round (from a neutral’s perspective), was the Fijian Drua’s 28-24 victory over the Chiefs in Lautoka.

It extended this season’s run of unpredictability – which has made it such compelling viewing – and highlighted the skill level and sheer enthusiasm of the Drua players. It is infectious.

After predictable teething issues, the two Pacific teams are contributing enormously to Super Rugby. It’s clear too that they capture the imagination of crowds and audiences in this part of the world far more effectively than the South African teams did.

Two tries each for Will Jordan and Sevu Reece were the headline acts for the Crusaders as they bounced back from their bye and, before that, their humiliation at the hands of the Chiefs. But delve a little deeper and just as pleasing for coach Rob Penney will be the way his team defended in the 43-19 thrashing of the Reds.

Yes, they fell off a few tackles – probably more than Penney would like – but the hunger with which they attacked the Reds ball-carriers was, for those watching in Christchurch, almost palpable.

Led by loose forward Ethan Blackadder, prop Tamaiti Williams, hooker Codie Taylor and lock Scott Barrett, and carried on by replacement flanker Corey Kellow, the Crusaders made of a point of smashing their opponents backwards in a highly impressive performance.

After a lean 2024, it’s too early to say whether the Crusaders are truly back, but they appear to be on the right course. This win took them from last place to fourth.