Blues live to fight another day after stunning Chiefs in Super Rugby Pacific qualifying final

Saturday, 7 June 2025

At FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton: Blues 20 (Kurt Eklund try 65min, Josh Beehre try 80+3min; Beauden Barrett 2 con, 2 pen) Chiefs 19 (Daniel Rona try 59min; Damian McKenzie con, 4 pen). HT: 3-9.

Yellow card: Ricky Riccitelli (Blues) 35min

The Blues’ title defence is, somehow, still alive.

In the most remarkable of finishes, Vern Cotter’s struggling side clinched an unbelievable qualifying final win over the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday night after replacement lock Josh Beehre burrowed over in the 83rd minute.

Beauden Barrett then slotted a conversion from simple range as the visitors stole a 20-19 win in front of a stunned, shivering 18,067 at a bone-chillingly-cold FMG Stadium Waikato.

It sets the Blues up for a blockbuster semifinal next Friday night against the Crusaders in Christchurch, where the red and blacks are 30-0 in playoff matches, following their 32-12 win over the Reds on Friday night.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, are not done. They will host a semifinal in Hamilton next Saturday night against the winner of the Brumbies v Hurricanes clash, but now their hopes of hosting the decider will hinge on the Blues doing them a favour.

Clayton McMillan’s side knew they were already guaranteed that home semi, being top seeds, and perhaps in the end the Blues’ desperation, knowing it was sudden-death for them, was key to their furious finish, where they kept on powering at the hosts’ line until victorious.

Hoskins Sotutu was denied by the TMO for a double movement right on the stroke of fulltime, but Angus Gardner’s penalty advantage gave the Blues a lifeline, and the story kept repeating for several minutes until the final blow.

Until then, the Chiefs, who had captain Luke Jacobson a late scratching due to a shoulder injury (said to be likely back for next weekend) had been dominant, and superb defensively, in a Battle of the Bombays clash which had plenty of the usual feeling and boiled over on a couple of occasions.

Bruising blindside flanker Samipeni Finau was huge for the hosts, stamping his All Blacks credentials with a punishing performance, as the Chiefs pack time and again enjoyed wins in the breakdown battle.

There were matchups all over the park, none more high-profile than in the playmaker position, in what was the first time Damian McKenzie and Barrett had gone head-to-head in No 10 jerseys since the 2018 quarterfinal, when Barrett guided the Hurricanes to a one-point win in Wellington.

Talk about history repeating, as McKenzie’s four penalties and conversion were edged out by a Blues team who scored two tries to one, as the Chiefs will be made to wonder ‘what-if’ after botching a heap of first-half opportunities.

It was a tryless first half, but no shortage of drama, as the home side took a 9-3 lead to the sheds, having had an absolute hold on territory (72%) and possession (61%).

McMillan would have been a frustrated figure up in the box as he watched his side make the Blues work so hard, powering their way one off the ruck and having their big men constantly dent the line, only for the visitors to stand tall on defence.

After all, the Blues have conceded the least tries per game of any side this year, and despite having to make some 142 tackles to the Chiefs’ 42 (in the end, the Chiefs ended up making 202 to 172) they fell off just eight, as well as having their hosts to thank for not capitalising on all their dominance, with no fewer than four golden opportunities going begging.

After the teams had traded penalties to start proceedings, the Chiefs turned down their next chance for points in favour of a scrum but had century-man Aidan Ross pinged for angling in, then there was a pass from Samisoni Taukei’aho which was too hard for Naitoa Ah Kuoi who knocked on near the line.

Worse was to come when a determined 20 phases of powerful work was undone by McKenzie putting too much on a pass for Shaun Stevenson who shelled, before it was capped off by a brilliant breakout going unrewarded when Cortez Ratima knocked on just before, and over, the line from a Daniel Rona infield kick.

The Chiefs were at least able to build in threes, including after a 35th minute sin-binning to Ricky Riccitelli for tripping McKenzie when chasing a Stevenson chip.

Then, despite their one-man disadvantage, it looked like the Blues were set to take a surprise lead to the break, thanks to some individual brilliance from Barrett, who produced a trademark chip and chase with pace, only to dive on the loose ball near the tryline and not get the slide he thought he would and instead knock on.

And while the Chiefs didn’t have to do much defending at all in the first spell, when they were asked some serious questions right at the start of the second, they came up trumps, Finau and Tupou Vaa’i both putting in huge hits and Emoni Narawa getting over the ball for a turnover win.

With All Blacks star Wallace Sititi injected in the 49th minute, the Chiefs only further asserted their authority on the breakdown battle, before eventually finding the first try of the match in the 59th minute when Daniel Rona burst through the tackle of his opposite, Rieko Ioane.

Caleb Clarke seemingly had the Blues’ first try in the 64th minute but dropped the ball over the line thanks to a desperate Finau tackle, before Kurt Eklund burrowed over a minute later, paving the way for the miraculous finish.