Chase on as Blues have sights on the leaders

Isa Nacewa and the Force's Scott Fava compete for the ball at North Harbour Stadium last night. Picture / Dean Purcell

Blues 39 Force 8 

It was a Good Friday for the Blues as they moved into a group chasing the Super 14 leaders.

Light-stepping midfielder Rua Tipoki led the way with a hat-trick of tries as the Blues mocked the form they had shown for much of the competition.

They got a massive assist though from a Force side which is out of their depth in the series and was no more than a trampoline for the Blues trip tomorrow to South Africa.

A second successive bonus point victory pushed the Blues into equal fifth in the competition, a move which will have a couple of leading teams a little twitchy about getting a few extra wins.

There will be a couple of Blues concerns though at medicals today over the fitness of blindside flanker Troy Flavell who damaged his left shoulder and looked very uncomfortable and Joe Rokocoko.

The wing was gathering more confidence and venom until he felt his left calf muscle tighten.

This match was a familiar scenario for the Force who showed why they are still hunting an elusive win in the expanded series. Their forwards were combative but behind the scrum there was little creativity, flimsy defence and ordinary skills.

That mediocre mixture persuaded the Blues to give the ball more air than they have in recent weeks, an ambition which was rewarded with three tries by halftime and a further three in the second half.

When the sides met at Eden Park in a final pre-season match, the Blues were far superior with their organisation and backline skills. Little had changed last night when they resumed combat at North Harbour Stadium.

The Blues backline used an array of attacking grubber kicks while Tipoki made the most of the Blues solitary appearance this year on his provincial turf where his footwork and aggression were too much for a bemused and tiring Force defence.

A decent crowd of 13,500 who made the trip to Albany enjoyed the Blues endeavour but for John Mitchell's side this is a much tougher journey in the Super 14.

After two wins in a row the Blues knew that while they were struggling to break out of a mid-table melee, they had the measure of the Force.

The Blues showed better accuracy at the set piece and working their way through multiple phases. Strong driving play from lineouts drew several penalties and Luke McAlister goaled with his first attempt from 42m.

It was an encouraging return from McAlister who had been limited to three starts for the Blues this season because of injuries.

Blues 39 (L. McAlister, B. Atiga, R. Tipoki 3, I. Nacewa tries; McAlister pen, 3 con).
Force 8 (C. Shepherd, try, pen). HT: 20-3

Standings after last night's match:

Played, Points
Crusaders 8 35
Waratahs 9 33
Brumbies 8 28
Hurricanes 8 28
Bulls 8 22
Highlanders 9 22
Blues 9 22
Chiefs 8 18
Cheetahs 8 18
Sharks 8 17
Stormers 8 14
Reds 8 12
Cats 8 6
Force 9 2