Blues smash pitiful Lions
The Blues ended an eight-week losing streak when they smashed a pitiful Lions team 25-3 at Eden Park, in Auckland, on Friday.
It was not a good match at Eden Park on Friday - not unless you were a relieved Blue. There was a poor crowd on a wet field watching two teams playing poorly. That said, one was considerably better than the other and had the relief of victory after seven successive defeats and the chance to get off the bottom of Super Rugby.
The Blues certainly deserved their win and in fact it could have been much bigger. The Lions got what they deserved. For the Blues the relief must have been all the greater after a miserable week that included notice being served on Pat Lam, their coach.
The Lions started off well enough, but that lasted five minutes. After which they stayed in their own half and surprising ended the half only 10-3 down. They spent most of the second half at home as well but did actually manage some forays into Blue territory, only for their own poor handling to destroy any hope of scoring a try. For most of the match they defended.
For the Blues they were happy to have Tony Woodcock back to prop the scrum and their pack put harsh pressure on the Lions. Woodcock was replaced after 56 minutes and soon after Charlie Faumuina was helped off with a calf muscle. Tom McCartney moved to prop with James Parsons on at hooker. Then the Lions got their own back and destroyed the Blues' scrum, of which there were more than Lions' scrums - 13 to 5. The Lions' scrums were disasters. They lost the first one, the virtually lost the second when Luke Braid caught Ross Cronjé on his line and in the second half Alby Mathewson scored a try. It was better for the Lions not to have scrums!
There was a strange penalty count in the game. In the first half it favoured the Lions 7-3 and in the second the Blues at 7-2. In addition the Lions had Deon van Rensburg sent to the sin bin in the second half, which led Joshua Strauss to ask the referee why his man. It was the fourth penalty against the Lions compared with six against the Blues who were not yellow-carded. Van Rensburg was a bit unlucky as he was the tackler who rose to play the ball.
The Lions started the match running and Luke Braid was penalised twice at tackles. On the second occasion Elton Jantjies goaled. 3-0 after 5 minutes.
Those were the Lions' five minutes in the Blues' half. For the rest the Blues were in Lions territory. Piri Weepu started their try with a dummy close to a tackle/ruck. Ma'a Nonu had a charge and then on the left Jock Hobbs cut past Lionel Mapoe to score. 7-3 after 18 minutes.
The Blues won the kicking game hands down in this match. They caught the Lions out of position with low kicks into the 22 and were able to compete for high kicks. The Lions kicked not one kick that counted.
At one kick Michael Killian saved but was bundled into touch. The Blues mauled the line-out and were over but Faumuina was held up. From the scrum they attacked but the Lions' defence was determined and Luke Braid passed forward to Hobbs to end the attack./
When Mapoe went offside, Anscombe goaled. 10-3 after 25 minutes. Anscombe missed a penalty in the first half and two more in the second.
Hope flared briefly for the Lions when fullback Andries Coetzee intercepted a pass from Benson Stanley and raced down the touchline on his right but he was forced out about 8 metres from the Blues' line and the Blues went back on the attack. The best of it was from a turnover off Jantjies which ended when David Raikuna was tackled out at the corner.
As in the first half, the Lions started the second half attacking, but, as in the first half, that did not last long. Ruan Botha was penalised for offside and Anscombe goaled. 13-3 after 45 minutes.
The Lions had a scrum. The Blues put pressure on and the ball was loose enough for Liaki Moli - a lock - to pick it up and flick a pass to Mathewson who scored in the right corner. 18-3 after 56 minutes.
Replacement hooker Martin Bezuidenhout scooted down the left on a long and promising run but fullback Hadleigh Parkes caught him. It did set up a period of Lion attack but catching the ball proved a problem.
The Blues had a five-metre scrum, which was soon under pressure from the Lions and going back, but Luke Braid, playing at No.8, picked up and drove. His men drove behind him as the final siren sounded, and over the captain went for a try which Anscombe converted. That was the end of the match.
Man of the Match: Energetic, determined Luke Braid, captain of the Blues.
The scorers:
For the Blues:
Tries: Hobbs, Mathewson, L Braid
Cons: Anscombe 2
Pens: Anscombe 2
For the Lions:
Pen: Jantjies
Yellow card: Deon van Rensburg (Lions, 48 - repeated infringements, slowing the ball down)
Teams:
Blues: 15 Hadleigh Parkes, 14 David Raikuna, 13 Ma'a Nonu, 12 Michael Hobbs, 11 Benson Stanley, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Daniel Braid, 6 Luke Braid (captain), 5 Ali Williams, 4 Liaki Moli, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 James Parsons, 17 Tevita Mailau, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Steven Luatua, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Lachie Munro, 22 Sherwin Stowers.
Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Deon van Rensburg, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Joshua Strauss (captain), 7 Grant Hattingh, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Franco van der Merwe, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Cobus Grobbelaar, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Tian Meyer, 21 Ruan Combrinck, 22 James Kamana.
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand), Sheldon Eden-Whaitiri (New Zealand)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)