cyRil
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http://cyrilsplace.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/blues-edge-chiefs-in-waikato-scrap/
written by cyRil
Chiefs 13-16 Blues
Payne try enough to decide North Island Derby
The Blues climbed to the top of the New Zealand SupeRugby Conference after besting the Chiefs in a close game played in awful conditions at Waikato Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts outscored their visitors two tries to one, but in the end it was the men from Auckland who held their nerve in an ugly encounter to grind out a narrow victory, with the boot of centre Luke McAlister contributing 11 of his side’s 16 points.
The Blues congratulate one another on a hard-fought win
But it was the home side that made the brighter start, and were ahead on the scoreboard within the first minute.
A Rene Ranger knock-on in midfield was opportunistically kicked on by the Chiefs; with the Blues scrambing defence unable to deal with a slippery ball in wet conditions, No. 8 Liam Messam hacked forward and dived on it over the line to give his side a 5-0 lead â€" the usually reliable fly-half Mike Delany missing the extras from out wide.
It was clear from the out-set that the game would be dictated by Hamilton’s atrocious weather.The two sides were trying to valiantly play expansive and attractive running rugby, but the wet conditions made it impossible for that to be achieved; leading to both teams putting a flurry of up-and-unders skywards in an attempt to unsettle and test the opposition defence â€" Chiefs scrum-half Brendon Leonard being a main exponent of this tactic.
When the Chiefs were pinged for not retreating the appropriate distance from a free kick just inside the opposition half the Blues were given the chance to register their first points of the evening, but McAlister was just off target with the 54-metre penalty.
On the 20-minute mark the Chiefs were again on the scoreboard. The man the home crowd call ‘Flash’ â€" right winger Lelia Masaga â€" started an attack from out wide after picking up the ball from a fortuitous bounce, moving in-field towards support and free backs in space. Possession was passed quickly across the pitch with wing Sitiveni Sivivatu making powerful strides towards the Blues line. Play was eventually slowed down in the forwards near the visitor’s line, but Chiefs prop Sona Taumalolo showed enough strength in his legs to power over for the home side’s second try.
A rain-drenched Waikato was no place for expansive rugby
When Chiefs openside Tanerau Latimer was penalised for going from the side at a ruck, the Blues were once again provided an opportunity to get off the mark â€" with McAlister much more accurate with his second attempt at the sticks â€" 10-3 Chiefs after 25 minutes.
Another chance for the Blues to score was spurned a couple of minutes later when a penalty that was eminently kickable was put into touch for a line-out near the Chiefs’ try-line.
For the next 8 minutes the Chiefs barely moved from their 5-metre line as they committed numerous infringements at ruck and scrum-time.
Latimer was again guilty of poor discipline by putting hands in the ruck, and with the Blues opting to go for scrum after scrum from the resultant penalties, Taumalolo was pin-pointed as the weak link for not staying straight at the hit.
Frustration was creeping in to the Blues side, and they were anxious to capitalise on their possession, territory and dominance up front, and captain Keven Mealamu again called for a scrum from the third penalty awarded for not binding squarely, hoping that one more would force the referee into awarding a much-deserved penalty try.
With Blues anticipation of a penalty score boiling over, their nerves cracked and from the fourth scrum on the Chiefs line they lost control of the ball, were turned over and conceded a penalty for holding on.
The Chiefs relief was plain for all to see and the team celebrated as if the match was won, after surviving intense and sustained Auckland pressure which really should have been converted into 7 points.
The Blues were given a redemptive shot at goal right on half-time when full-back Tim Nanai-Williams was pinged for going off his feet, and although the Chiefs would have been disappointed by conceding a late and unnecessary 3 points, it could have been a whole lot worse for the home side; 10-6 Chiefs at the break.
The Blues started brightly in the second half, looking to make up for the numerous opportunities they wasted in the first period.
Richard Kahui struggles in the rain in Hamilton
Fly-half Stephen Brett was trying to initiate attacks out wide and spark his backs into action, but in-so-doing threw an intercept straight to opposition half-back Leonard on the Chiefs 22, who set off from 80 metres out down the touchline, heading for the whitewash. But Brett recovered sufficiently to catch up with the scrum-half and drag him down inside the Blues’ 22, force a turnover, and Latimer once again conceded a penalty at the break-down to relieve the pressure on the visitor’s line.
The poor execution of the Blues was becoming an ever-more present factor in their game, with mistakes riddling their play the team were unable to forge any real opportunities â€" half-back Alby Mathewson kicking out on the full on a number of occasions to illustrate their faltering efforts.
Just as the game was threatening to turn into a dirge it sparked back into life as Isaia Toeava burst through the Chiefs’ defensive line. Recycling from the break-down, the ball was shipped on to McAlister who dinked an interesting grubber kick through for centre partner Jared Payne to chase â€" the outside back kicking on and doing brilliantly to shrug off the attentions of Delany to control the ball and quickly plant it before going out over the dead-ball line.
With McAlister curling in a great conversion the Blues now led 13-10 and had the opportunity to wise-up and close the game out.
Payne's wonderful finish proved the difference on the night
However the Chiefs were back on level terms soon after when the Blues went off their feet at the break-down; Delany slotting the penalty to make it 13-13 with 62 minutes played.
Despite this, the game always had the feel that it would go the visitors way in the closing stages, due to the Chiefs’ relatively little possession and field position and the Blues’ dominance in those areas of play.
When replacement scrum-half Taniela Moa was penalised for cynical offside play and McAlister duly stepped up to put the Blues back in the lead, 16-13, the home side knew they faced an uphill struggle against conditions and the clock to get anything out of the game besides a losing bonus-point.
To their credit, the Chiefs never gave in. But the possession they had was predominantly within their own half and so were made to force their play and style of rugby. The wet weather once again put paid to any broad and inspirational rugby the Chiefs backs and loose forwards tried to employ, and when Masaga knocked on whilst trying to release Richard Kahui inside him, the game was up, with the Blues hanging on to an important derby victory.
Star Man: Jared Payne â€" The Blues centre made a couple of good runs with ball in hand, tackled hard and scored the game’s crucial try with a consummate finish.
5-metre flop: Tanerau Latimer â€" The Chiefs openside was guilty of giving away vital penalties that cost his team dearly, and was outshone by his opponents in the back-row.
written by cyRil
Chiefs 13-16 Blues
Payne try enough to decide North Island Derby
The Blues climbed to the top of the New Zealand SupeRugby Conference after besting the Chiefs in a close game played in awful conditions at Waikato Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts outscored their visitors two tries to one, but in the end it was the men from Auckland who held their nerve in an ugly encounter to grind out a narrow victory, with the boot of centre Luke McAlister contributing 11 of his side’s 16 points.
The Blues congratulate one another on a hard-fought win
But it was the home side that made the brighter start, and were ahead on the scoreboard within the first minute.
A Rene Ranger knock-on in midfield was opportunistically kicked on by the Chiefs; with the Blues scrambing defence unable to deal with a slippery ball in wet conditions, No. 8 Liam Messam hacked forward and dived on it over the line to give his side a 5-0 lead â€" the usually reliable fly-half Mike Delany missing the extras from out wide.
It was clear from the out-set that the game would be dictated by Hamilton’s atrocious weather.The two sides were trying to valiantly play expansive and attractive running rugby, but the wet conditions made it impossible for that to be achieved; leading to both teams putting a flurry of up-and-unders skywards in an attempt to unsettle and test the opposition defence â€" Chiefs scrum-half Brendon Leonard being a main exponent of this tactic.
When the Chiefs were pinged for not retreating the appropriate distance from a free kick just inside the opposition half the Blues were given the chance to register their first points of the evening, but McAlister was just off target with the 54-metre penalty.
On the 20-minute mark the Chiefs were again on the scoreboard. The man the home crowd call ‘Flash’ â€" right winger Lelia Masaga â€" started an attack from out wide after picking up the ball from a fortuitous bounce, moving in-field towards support and free backs in space. Possession was passed quickly across the pitch with wing Sitiveni Sivivatu making powerful strides towards the Blues line. Play was eventually slowed down in the forwards near the visitor’s line, but Chiefs prop Sona Taumalolo showed enough strength in his legs to power over for the home side’s second try.
A rain-drenched Waikato was no place for expansive rugby
When Chiefs openside Tanerau Latimer was penalised for going from the side at a ruck, the Blues were once again provided an opportunity to get off the mark â€" with McAlister much more accurate with his second attempt at the sticks â€" 10-3 Chiefs after 25 minutes.
Another chance for the Blues to score was spurned a couple of minutes later when a penalty that was eminently kickable was put into touch for a line-out near the Chiefs’ try-line.
For the next 8 minutes the Chiefs barely moved from their 5-metre line as they committed numerous infringements at ruck and scrum-time.
Latimer was again guilty of poor discipline by putting hands in the ruck, and with the Blues opting to go for scrum after scrum from the resultant penalties, Taumalolo was pin-pointed as the weak link for not staying straight at the hit.
Frustration was creeping in to the Blues side, and they were anxious to capitalise on their possession, territory and dominance up front, and captain Keven Mealamu again called for a scrum from the third penalty awarded for not binding squarely, hoping that one more would force the referee into awarding a much-deserved penalty try.
With Blues anticipation of a penalty score boiling over, their nerves cracked and from the fourth scrum on the Chiefs line they lost control of the ball, were turned over and conceded a penalty for holding on.
The Chiefs relief was plain for all to see and the team celebrated as if the match was won, after surviving intense and sustained Auckland pressure which really should have been converted into 7 points.
The Blues were given a redemptive shot at goal right on half-time when full-back Tim Nanai-Williams was pinged for going off his feet, and although the Chiefs would have been disappointed by conceding a late and unnecessary 3 points, it could have been a whole lot worse for the home side; 10-6 Chiefs at the break.
The Blues started brightly in the second half, looking to make up for the numerous opportunities they wasted in the first period.
Richard Kahui struggles in the rain in Hamilton
Fly-half Stephen Brett was trying to initiate attacks out wide and spark his backs into action, but in-so-doing threw an intercept straight to opposition half-back Leonard on the Chiefs 22, who set off from 80 metres out down the touchline, heading for the whitewash. But Brett recovered sufficiently to catch up with the scrum-half and drag him down inside the Blues’ 22, force a turnover, and Latimer once again conceded a penalty at the break-down to relieve the pressure on the visitor’s line.
The poor execution of the Blues was becoming an ever-more present factor in their game, with mistakes riddling their play the team were unable to forge any real opportunities â€" half-back Alby Mathewson kicking out on the full on a number of occasions to illustrate their faltering efforts.
Just as the game was threatening to turn into a dirge it sparked back into life as Isaia Toeava burst through the Chiefs’ defensive line. Recycling from the break-down, the ball was shipped on to McAlister who dinked an interesting grubber kick through for centre partner Jared Payne to chase â€" the outside back kicking on and doing brilliantly to shrug off the attentions of Delany to control the ball and quickly plant it before going out over the dead-ball line.
With McAlister curling in a great conversion the Blues now led 13-10 and had the opportunity to wise-up and close the game out.
Payne's wonderful finish proved the difference on the night
However the Chiefs were back on level terms soon after when the Blues went off their feet at the break-down; Delany slotting the penalty to make it 13-13 with 62 minutes played.
Despite this, the game always had the feel that it would go the visitors way in the closing stages, due to the Chiefs’ relatively little possession and field position and the Blues’ dominance in those areas of play.
When replacement scrum-half Taniela Moa was penalised for cynical offside play and McAlister duly stepped up to put the Blues back in the lead, 16-13, the home side knew they faced an uphill struggle against conditions and the clock to get anything out of the game besides a losing bonus-point.
To their credit, the Chiefs never gave in. But the possession they had was predominantly within their own half and so were made to force their play and style of rugby. The wet weather once again put paid to any broad and inspirational rugby the Chiefs backs and loose forwards tried to employ, and when Masaga knocked on whilst trying to release Richard Kahui inside him, the game was up, with the Blues hanging on to an important derby victory.
Star Man: Jared Payne â€" The Blues centre made a couple of good runs with ball in hand, tackled hard and scored the game’s crucial try with a consummate finish.
5-metre flop: Tanerau Latimer â€" The Chiefs openside was guilty of giving away vital penalties that cost his team dearly, and was outshone by his opponents in the back-row.
