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Blues bash Brumbies in record-setting Super Rugby rout
The ACT Brumbies have confessed to copping a brutal beat-down after receiving a reality check with a record-breaking 46-7 Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Blues in Auckland.
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Australia’s benchmark side entered Saturday’s contest with a six-from-seven record this campaign and designs on an all-important top-two finish.
That may yet materialise.
But, for now, Eden Park once again proved Australian rugby’s graveyard as the Blues put the Brumbies to the sword on Saturday with seven tries to one late consolation cross from the vanquished visitors.
“We just got physically dominated the whole game, really,” said Brumbies captain Ryan Lonergan.
“We had no go forward in attack and we couldn’t seem to slow their ball down at all, or their momentum in defence.
“We had a few opportunities there, I saw that first 20 minutes in the ‘A’ zone and we couldn’t convert that into points and then, yeah, it was all downhill from there.”
Coach Stephen Larkham had hoped the Brumbies’ acid test across the Tasman would send a statement to their rivals.
Instead, the Brumbies suffered their heaviest ever defeat to the Aucklanders in a thorough mismatch between the two sides previously sitting in joint second place.
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A rout certainly didn’t look on the cards early on.
It was almost impossible to believe the Brumbies found themselves down after Blues halfback Taufa Funaki was yellow-carded for being offside while pulling off a try-saving tackle on Ollie Sapsford.
But a try to big No.8 Hoskins Sotutu, following a bust from flanker Dalton Papali’i, when the Blues were down to 14 men put the hosts up 7-0 against the run of play.
The try proved the turning point of the match.
Starving the Brumbies of possession, the Blues converted their clear dominance into a double-digit lead when destructive winger Caleb Clarke stormed over to bag the Blues’ second try seven minutes from halftime.
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Their third, after the halftime siren following a brain explosion from Brumbies five-eighth Noah Lolesio, was a gut-buster for the visitors.
After the Brumbies defended their line valiantly, Lolesio inexplicably kicked the ball out on the full, believing that would be halftime.
Instead, the blunder earned the Blues a free kick, with Sotutu punishing the error with his second five-pointer to earn his team a 24-0 lead at the break and himself top tryscorer bragging rights in the competition.
Any hopes of a miraculous second-half comeback were snuffed out shortly after the restart, when Papali’i scored off a driving maul before veteran Brumbies prop James Slipper was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle.
Further tries to front-rowers Ricky Riccitelli and Funaki added to the Brumbies’ woes as their Eden Park hoodoo extended to 11 years.
It doesn’t get any easier next week when the Brumbies host the undefeated table-topping Hurricanes in Canberra.
“We had a similar sort of feeling after the Chiefs (loss) earlier in the season, so it’s disappointing to roll out a similar performance,” Lonergan said.
“Obviously quality teams and we’ve got to want to play these games, so we’ve got a big week of review and then move on nice and fast and get ready for the Canes.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments