Blues' Super Rugby season of woe continues with home defeat to Rebels
The Rebels beat the Blues to claim Australia's first Super Rugby win in New Zealand this season.
The Blues' Super Rugby season from hell has plunged to new depths of despair. They've even losing home games to the Aussies now.
To be fair, Melbourne's Rebels played much the more impressive rugby as they came to Eden Park for this Saturday matinee and deservedly walked away with a 20-10, three tries to one, victory to significantly enhance their playoff prospects heading into the June break.
The Rebels improve to 7-6 – matching their best win haul in the competition – and 34 points, which is more than enough to retain their spot in the top eight. This was their third victory on the bounce, takes them temporarily to the top of their conference and provides a real shot in the arm for the struggling Australian game.
Stephen Perofeta goes on the charge for the Blues against the Rebels at Eden Park on Saturday.
It was their first victory at Eden Park and just their second in New Zealand.
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The basement Blues, on the other hand, continue to flounder in their own ineptitude. They have now lost all seven of their home matches for 2018 (little wonder their stands are so sporadically populated), and 10 of their 13 in total as they remain second from bottom on the overall table with just 17 points.
This loss also snaps an 11-match undefeated streak against Australian opposition.
Coach Tana Umaga has been given one more year to turn this shambles around; and he might as well start planning for it now, for this season is done and dusted. The Blues finish, post-June, with the Reds at home and Hurricanes and Crusaders on the road, which looks problematic to say the least.
They were their own worst enemies too, continuing to come up with errors at crucial times to snuff out promising opportunities just when they looked most likely to reap points. Their lineout remains an issue, to say the least, with three lost on their own toss in this match; and their handling and mental lapses are coach-killers.
The Rebels had scored two tries to one to take a deserved 12-10 lead into the break, with the visitors probably unlucky their advantage wasn't more decisive after having two other potential five-pointers ruled out via the TMO.
Billy Meakes scored the first of his two tries for the Rebels in the 12th minute via a nice flick-pass from halfback Michael Ruru and the impressive Dane Haylett-Petty put the visitors in front on the stroke of halftime when he took a nice pass from Colby Fainga'a and had too much gas for Gerard Cowley-Tuioti out wide.
In between the Aussie outfit had two other near scores rubbed out, with Ruru held up over the line by a nice piece of last-ditch defensive desperation from home skipper Auggie Pulu and Fainga'a's brilliant, rampaging charge over negated by a knock-on just beforehand.
Billy Meakes helped himself to two tries as the Rebels ran out worthy winners against the Blues in Auckland.
The Blues had their own moments, and led 10-7 five minutes from the break when replacement Bay of Plenty second five-eighths Terrence Hepetema showed a nice piece of elusiveness to slip through a gap in the Rebels defence for an important score.
The chance had been created when No 8 Akira Ioane charged down an attempted Ruru clearance and the home forwards did very well to create the turnover at the counter-ruck.
Akira Ioane failed to produce the full 80-minute performance his coach Tana Umaga had demanded of him.
Meakes crossed for try No 2 early in the second spell when Marika Koroibete gathered Haylett-Petty's well-weighted kick through and put his inside centre away. That made it 17-10, and when Reece Hodge banged over a 47-metre penalty midway through the half the Blues were toast.
The Rebels pack was combative, their loose trio dynamic and Ruru sparked a likely backline with his busy play. Meakes, Koroibete and Haylett-Petty were sharp when called upon.
Matt Moulds can't hide his disappointment after another humiliating defeat for the Blues on their home turf.
Stephen Perofeta sparked some positive play for the Blues and Hepetema did well after his late callup to fill in for Sonny Bill Williams, but it was all too piecemeal for the home outfit who have now lost five of their last six matches.
AT A GLANCE
Rebels 20 (Billy Meakes 2, Dane Haylett-Petty tries; Reece Hodge pen, con), Blues 10 (Terrence Hepetema try; Stephen Perofeta pen, con). HT: 12-10.
- Stuff
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