Super Rugby: Blues back on track but Canes may be kicking themselves

Analysis: The defending champs got home by a point at Eden Park as the Crusaders reaped the benefits of an improved defensive display against the Drua, writes Patrick McKendry.

They lost hooker Ricky Riccitelli just before kick-off and had skipper Patrick Tuipulotu sent to the sinbin for a dangerous cleanout in the first half, but the Blues, while outscored two tries to one, got the victory over the Hurricanes that they craved.

This 19-18 win was only their second of the season and their first at Eden Park.

The Blues were outmuscled at times but while they deserve credit for showing a resilience seen only too rarely this season, the Hurricanes will feel this was one that got away.

Riley Hohepa’s missed shots at goal were crucial – he hooked two penalties and a conversion to the left of the posts and was successful with only three attempts.

Beauden Barrett, meanwhile, back from a broken hand, kicked five from six. That accuracy off the tee was key. Well, that and their tryline defence.

The victory by the defending champions keeps them in the hunt for a place in the top six, but they remain 10th of 11 teams.

Beating the Fijian Drua in Fiji is no formality, and while the Crusaders had a slight advantage in that this game was in Suva rather than the Drua’s Lautoka fortress, this 31-14 victory was as revealing as it was important.

The Crusaders’ defence in their previous match – a defeat at home to Moana Pasifika – was not up to scratch but at HFC Bank Stadium it was a point of difference, and it carried them to the win which helped the red and blacks to second on the table.

The visitors were in control to such an extent that the two converted tries for the Drua in the final 14 minutes, including a 50m spectacular by replacement lock Etonia Waqa, were inconsequential in terms of the result.

A word, too, on the Crusaders' special edition Fijian-inspired jerseys, which are likely to be extremely popular among fans of both franchises.

It's subjective, of course, but the design is likely to endure for longer than the gimmicky "superhero" jerseys worn recently by the Kiwi teams, including the Blues, who wore them for the second time at the weekend.

A couple of things became apparent when watching Moana Pasifika’s 45-28 comeback win over the Waratahs at a sun-drenched North Harbour Stadium.

One was the team’s obvious spirit and resilience to withstand a fast start by the Sydney-siders, which had them 21-7 up at halftime.

And the other was the utter ruthlessness with which Ardie Savea’s men went about hurting the Waratahs every time they had the opportunity.

This may be the biggest development for this side, who celebrated making history with their first back-to-back win in Super Rugby.

Their decision-making and timing of the pass and grubber kick was elite and a big reason why they are in eighth place – only two competition points from the top six.

Star league signing Joseph Sua’ali’i threatened to steal the headlines for the visitors with a sharp attacking display in the first half but in the end it was Moana Pasifika’s 22-year-old tighthead prop Feliti Sae-Ta’ufo’ou who was more influential as he went over for a hat-trick of tries.

Their next match against the Blues at Eden Park next Saturday afternoon should be highly anticipated.

The Highlanders’ winless two weeks in Australia has come to an end, the Force’s 29-20 victory in Perth the latest setback.

This was a strange game. The Highlanders led 20-7 midway through the first half but the visitors saw that lead evaporate just before halftime when conceding two tries.

The big blow came after Harry Potter scored for the Force seven minutes after the break when loose forward Sean Withy was judged to have intentionally struck Potter with his knee as the right wing scored.

A yellow card was upgraded to red and the way home for the Highlanders became extremely difficult from that point.

A sweeping counter-attack which started in their half and was finished by fullback Sam Gilbert and was one of the tries of the round will likely be cold comfort for coach Jamie Joseph.

Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan is a pragmatic individual so while his side made hard work of their 27-15 victory over the Reds in constant rain in Hamilton, he will likely be satisfied.

They failed to press home their early advantages, and the Reds, second on the table before kick-off, rallied for a 10-10 halftime score but the home side took control in the final quarter.

It wasn’t flashy but the win allowed the Chiefs to stay No.1 and McMillan may even like it even more for that very reason.

There is a sense that, with most of the attention on the struggling Blues and Moana Pasifika’s breakout season, the Chiefs are flying under the radar and that would suit him just fine.