Blues turn it on late to smash Rebels as gun young lock finally stands
Despite Josh Canham’s best performance of the year and another encouraging display from Darby Lancaster, the Rebels have suffered their second straight loss after…
The Western Force were brave but ultimately outgunned 24-15 by the Blues in Saturday’s Super Rugby clash in Auckland.
The Force dominated play for much of the opening half and trailed by just four points with 15 minutes remaining in the match.
But runaway tries to Rieko Ioane and Michael Collins sealed the win for the Blues, who improved their season record to 3-3.
Force players entered the match with a lot on their minds following intense speculation the franchise will be axed if the Super Rugby competition reverts to a 15-team format.
The ongoing uncertainty has the potential to be a major distraction for the Force.
But the players put that to one side to make a strong start, dominating possession and field position to catch the Blues on the hop.
A 20th-minute try to lock Richard Arnold gave the Force an 8-0 lead but momentum changed dramatically when No.8 Isi Naisarani was sin binned after being penalised twice within the space of a minute for offside.
The Blues scored two tries while Naisarani was off to head to half-time up 12-8.
Force scrumhalf Ryan Louwrens lasted 10 minutes before limping off with a right knee injury but his replacement Michael Ruru was lively.
They had their chances in the second half but lacked the polish whenever a try was within sight.
In contrast, the Blues scored two brilliant tries from play that started inside their own 22 but were denied the bonus point by a late try to Dane Haylett-Petty.
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Despite Josh Canham’s best performance of the year and another encouraging display from Darby Lancaster, the Rebels have suffered their second straight loss after…
While the Blues coach Vern Cotter wasn't happy with his side's start after a week on the Sunshine Coast, the players saw the funny…
Harry Plummer spent 10 minutes in the sin bin over the tackle, but some of the commentators thought it was a tough call.
The centre was forced out of the game during halftime after being knocked out trying to make a tackle.
No one could believe how he could snap a pair of rugby boots.
After Melbourne scored the opening points, a sloppy play allowed the Blues to hit straight back.