Late West penalty saves Blues' blushes
Just when it looked as if the Reds would win their first match of the season, the Blues came back in exciting fashion to draw the match which had some bizarre features that could cause conversation with adamant thoughts and statements.
It was a match of fluctuating fortunes. In the first half it looked as if the Blues were sailing to victory. In the first half of the second half it looked as if the Reds were racing to victory. And then the Blues fought back and settled for a draw.
It was clear at the last penalty with the score 25-22 that the Blues' goal-kicker Ihaia West wanted to kick for a line-out and a chance to win but according to Steven Luatua, talking for the captain after the match, the call came from on high to kick for goal, which they did. Then the final whistle went. This penalty was eminently kickable because the Blues were attacking. Down a man, they were still attacking.
They were down a man because prop Sione Mafileo had been sent to the sin bin after a team warning about scrum penalties.
That warning came after no fewer than eight penalties at scrums against the Blues. There was a penalty for standing up in the front row but most were for not pushing straight, wheeling the scrum, not 'earning the turn'. Yet there is nothing in the laws that suggests that standing up in a scrum is an infringement and no clear and obvious law that says wheeling the scrum is of itself illegal, though it seems that there are referees' laws about running around and earning the turn. When the penalty count at scrums gets to nine against one side in the match's 15 scrums, there is something seriously wrong.
West kicked off for the Blues and they did the early attacking, doing a phase routine. Then suddenly as they went left from a line-out, teenager Rieko Ioane took a short pass from West and burst between Jake McIntyre and Anthony Fainga'a and gave back to West who swept over unimpeded for the try which he converted. 7-0 after 10 minutes. But the Reds were soon back on level terms with an excellent try.
Blues' fullback Lolagi Visinia kicked downfield and the Reds got possession. Flyhalf McIntyre hoofed a high ball to his left where bulky Chris Feauai-Sautia beat Tevita Li for the ball. Feauai-Sautia easily ran round Luatua and just got past the attempts of Male Sa'u and George Moala to tackle him to score in the right corner. From touch McIntyre converted. 7-7.
When hooker Andrew Ready was penalised for being offside, West regained the lead for the Blues. 10-7 after 16 minutes. And two minutes later they went still further ahead with a great, 60-metre try.
They were going left when Charlie Faumuina gave a sympathetic pass to Visinia about 12 metres inside the Blues' half. The tall fullback dummied, ran and just short of the Reds' 10-metre line passed inside to Hall who raced some 40 metres to score. 15-7 after 18 minutes and the Blues looked in charge.
Frisby countered and kicked ahead, but Jerome Kaino saved. Then, for the second time in the match, the Blues were penalised at a scrum and McIntyre goaled. 15-10.
The Blues blew a great chance. Bryn Hall broke on the right and Sa'u was close, brought down by a great tackle by Nick Frisby. The Blues went wide but with a three-man overlap Rieko Ioane knocked on.
Frisby again got his side on the attack when he kicked a long way downfield and chased. West was penalised for being offside and McIntyre goaled. 15-13 after 38 minutes.
A neat try gave the Reds the lead. From a scrum on their left, they went right. McIntyre did a runaround with Frisby who gave to left wing Eto Nabuli. Nabuli burst between Sa'u and Moala andi passed inside to Samu Kerevi who sprinted to the posts. 20-15 after 55 minutes.
The Reds went further ahead with a great try. West kicked high into Reds territory and Karmichael Hunt counterattacked. He was tackled but the Reds went wide left where McIntyre broke and have to Nabuli who in turn gave to Frisby who grabbed it one-handed and raced down towards the goal-line. Five metres out he gave to McIntyre who scored in the left corner. 25-15 after 61 minutes after the conversion attempt gave the goal posts a wide berth.
The Blues attacked and Rieko Ioane burst for the line but was abruptly stopped by Hunt. Still the Blues were close. They bashed and bearded Billy Guyton, the substitute scrumhalf, surfed over for the try. 25-22 with six exciting minutes to play.
The Reds were penalised for a deliberate knock-on by Nabuli and kicked out for a line-out. They then went through 21 phases of close passes along the 22 till time was up and the Reds were penalised. West kicked the penalty that drew the match.
Man of the Match: Nick Frisby, the liveliest and most creative player on the field, brave, calm and effective.
Scorers:
For the Reds:
Tries: Feauai-Sautia, Kerevi, McIntyre
Cons: McIntyre 2
Pens: McIntyre 2
For the Blues:
Tries: West, Hall, McGahan
Cons: West 2
Pens: West 2
Yellow card: Sione Mafileo (Blues, repeated infringements - collapsing the scrum, 78)
Teams:
Reds: 15 Karmichael Hunt, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Anthony Fainga'a, 11 Eto Nabuli, 10 Jake McIntyre, 9 Nick Frisby, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Waita Setu, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Rob Simmons (captain), 4 Cadeyrn Neville, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Andrew Ready, 1 Sef Fa'agase.
Replacements: 16 Matt Mafi, 17 Pettowa Paraka, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Ben Matwijow, 20 Curtis Browning, 21 Scott Gale, 22 Sam Greene, 23 Ayumu Goromaru.
Blues: 15 Lolagi Visinia, 14 Rieko Ioane, 13 Male Sa'u, 12 George Moala, 11 Tevita Li, 10 Ihaia West, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Steven Luatua, 7 Blake Gibson, 6 Jerome Kaino (captain), 5 Josh Bekhuis, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 James Parsons, 1 Ofa Tu'ungafasi.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Nic Mayhew, 18 Sione Mafileo, 19 Hoani Matenga, 20 Kara Pryor, 21 Akira Ioane, 22 Billy Guyton, 23 Matt McGahan.
Referee: Andrew Lees (Australia)