The Blues have made a mockery of their previous Super Rugby finals fragility by thrashing the Chiefs 41-10 at Eden Park tonight.
They were as relentless as the rain that poured down before kick-off and didn’t stop, the celebrations starting with just under two minutes remaining – head coach Vern Cotter shaking hands with his assistants and inspirational skipper Patrick Tuipulotu hugging his teammates on the reserves bench.
The championship triumph was a just reward for a no-nonsense coach who brought a healthy dose of pragmatism to this team, an outfit built very much in his own image.
It is the Blues’ fourth title – not counting the 2021 trans-Tasman trophy victory.
It was almost as if the Blues were acutely aware of the disappointments their long-suffering supporters had gone through over the past 21 years and were determined to make this as nerveless as possible.
They did it through a ruthless adherence to the fundamentals. They had been playing finals football all season – a game plan built on maintaining possession and territory and thoroughly testing their opponents around the breakdown and it worked to perfection on a night conducive to such grinding efficiency.
Left wing Caleb Clarke achieved the feat of scoring a hat-trick of tries but his was by no means the only standout performance by a player in blue because they enjoyed significant input by all their men.
A word here on the option taking of Finlay Christie and Harry Plummer; two unsung heroes for the Blues this season and both hardly putting a foot wrong on this night of nights.
There was no way out for the Chiefs because the pressure was intolerable. The way the Blues hung on to beat the Hurricanes here several weeks ago was a clue to their quality but there were still question marks around their ability to win on the biggest stage.
They were quickly made redundant by the Blues’ start and the construction of an unassailable 20-3 halftime lead via tries from Akira Ioane and Caleb Clarke – both in the left corner, both from close range and both superbly converted by Harry Plummer.
Plummer added two penalties for good measure. He didn’t miss a kick all night – seven out of seven.
Blues wing Caleb Clarke scores his hat-trick try against the Chiefs. (Source: Photosport)
Things were not going to plan for the Chiefs. Fullback Shaun Stevenson made a couple of errors, Etene Nanai-Seturo botched a rare piece of possession when kicking out on the full. Damian McKenzie was contained and Anton Lienert-Brown and Luke Jacobson penalised.
Just on that: The Chiefs often sail close to the wind in terms of the referee but giving away four penalties in their territory in the first quarter is no way to set about building a foundation for a final victory. In the end they were perhaps fortunate not to lose a player to the sinbin but referee Nic Berry’s explanation for why he didn’t go to his pocket was sound.
Berry’s patience finally ran out 10 minutes into the second half when he yellow carded Chiefs prop George Dyer and Clarke quickly scored his second. He would have his third 10 minutes later.
The penalty count told a story by itself. The Blues conceded five, the Chiefs 12.
If there was any doubt about who would be lifting the trophy it was surely over now with the score 27-3.
What else?
Tuipulotu recovering from his knee injury – a torn MCL – within a couple of weeks to start was inspirational enough on its own but seeing him charging up field with the ball ably supported by Akira Ioane, in his final match for the Blues, was something else. He lasted 58 minutes in a truly inspirational performance.
Not far behind was the sight of halfback Christie winning turnovers and teaming up with first-five Plummer to send Chiefs forwards into reverse.
As the score continued to mount, Chiefs’ fans may have allowed themselves to think of another nightmare final – 2009 when their side went to Johannsburg to play the Bulls and were thumped 61-17.
A rare break by Lienert-Brown and offload for replacement flanker Simon Parker to score a converted try was some consolation but the margin was quickly restored by AJ Lam. The long wait was over, the rather damp party was just getting started.
Blues 41 (Caleb Clarke 3, Akira Ioane, AJ Lam tries; Harry Plummer 5 cons, 2 pens
Chiefs 10 (Simon Parker try; Damian McKenzie con, pen
Halftime: 20-3
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