Blues overcome Fijian Drua test to reach another Super Rugby Pacific semifinal
Saturday, 8 June 2024
The Blues will host a semifinal against the Brumbies at Eden Park next Friday night after beating the Fijian Drua.
Caleb Clarke scored twice in Saturday night’s quarterfinal as the Blues won 36-5 after a dominant first half.
The Drua responded well after half-time but were always chasing the match in only their second play-off appearance.
At Eden Park, Auckland: Blues 36 (Dalton Papali’i 9’, Finlay Chrisite 18’, Caleb Clarke 35’, 78’, Kurt Eklund 64’ tries; Harry Plummer 3 con, pen; Stephen Perofeta con) Fijian Drua 5 (Selestino Ravutaumada 43’ try). HT: 22-0.
Greater tests will determine if Vern Cotter’s Blues are the real deal after progressing to another home semifinal with the Brumbies.
The Blues survived a second-half fright to overcome the Fijian Drua in Saturday night’s Super Rugby Pacific quarterfinal at Eden Park that might have unsettled Cotter, whose first year as coach will be defined in the next week, or two.
It was still a professional job, winning 36-5 against an excitable but outmatched Drua team, whose rotten away record continued in Auckland.
Mick Byrne’s Fijian side achieved par with their second play-off appearance in only their third season, but they are nowhere near the level of the competition’s leading teams for long enough in matches.
Good in glimpses, but poor in too many areas where the Blues could assert control with their set piece, their maul, their scrum and close-quarter collisions around the ruck.
They still needed a dull but effective rolling maul try from Kurt Eklund with 16 minutes left to regain a measure of control after the Drua’s explosive second-half response.
Caleb Clarke’s rampaging second try from a swift attack in the final moments, after his latest powerful display on the left wing, sent the crowd of 18,201 home happy, even as the determined Fijians almost had the final say.
The Blues have a bigger mission to accomplish, chasing Super Rugby’s top prize for the first time since 2003 after two decades of underachievement.
This was no stroll for Cotter’s men, however, and while the Drua’s discipline continues to hurt them, they are physically competitive and ferocious around the breakdown.
Patrick Tuipulotu’s knee injury which forced him off after 20 minutes will be a concern with an Eden Park semifinal to come next Friday night against the top Australian side, although their skipper and All Blacks lock looked relaxed on the bench.
The captain’s absence did little to impact the dominance of the Blues pack, with Dalton Papali’i, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Hoskins Sotutu and Akira Ioane among their forwards leading the charge. Tuipulotu’s replacement, late call-up James Thompson, was also superb in only his second match.
Cotter said the extent of Tuipulotu’s injury was not certain yet. Akira Ioane also hobbled off with a calf niggle.
Centre Rieko Ioane made a strong return from injury and Harry Plummer was effective as the chief playmaker again, landing pinpoint crossfield kicks to find Clarke and Mark Telea. The Blues needed cool heads and a shock defeat never looked likely, even as the Fijians were passionately roared forward by their pockets of fans.
An assignment against the Drua can be fraught with trepidation. They are frenetic and capable of the improbable. After a flat first half, the Fijians around Eden Park erupted for the night’s biggest cheer when winger Selestino Ravutaumada broke away to score.
The Blues had made a shaky start when Stephen Perofeta booted the kick-off dead, bringing the raucous Fijian crowd to life. The hosts assumed control until that rocky spell after half-time.
A demonstration of the Drua’s raised belief was a bone-crunching Frank Lomani tackle on Perofeta, although the Blues finished strongly.
There were few doubting the Blues would triumph after first-half tries for Papali’i, Finlay Christie and Clarke, with Plummer surprisingly opting to add a penalty goal for a buffer while the Fijians were struggling to escape their 22.
Despite their overwhelming dominance in almost every statistic imaginable, the Blues missed opportunities to put the game to bed and were rattled by the Drua’s onslaught after the break.
The big picture
The Blues have qualified for their third semifinal in a row after finishing as runners-up in 2022 and last year’s semifinal annihilation against the Crusaders.
The big prize has long eluded them and a fourth major title is what they’re wanting after victories in 1996, 1997 and 2003.
What’s next
The Blues will welcome the Brumbies to Eden Park next Friday night after the Canberra side’s 32-16 success over the Highlanders.
They met in an Auckland semifinal two years ago when the Blues were fortunate to win 20-19.
The Drua’s campaign is finished after coming seventh in the regular season. They will be back.