Chiefs v Blues: Blues keep title defence alive with last-gasp win over Chiefs in Hamilton

Chiefs 19

Blues 20

By Liam Napier in Hamilton

“Shouldn’t have let us get one.”

Rieko Ioane issued that warning last week after the Blues scraped into the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs in sixth position after dispatching the New South Wales Waratahs.

One week later, the Blues’ teetering title defence officially awoke from its stuttering slumber after they travelled down State Highway 1 to stun the Chiefs 20-19 in Hamilton and back up Ioane’s statement.

The Chiefs, the No 1 seeds and having set the tone all season, led this contest from the first minute, but the Blues summoned notable resilience to come back from a 13-point deficit with replacement lock Josh Beehre claiming the 84th-minute, match-winning try.

Minutes earlier, Hoskins Sotutu was denied, with the officials deeming he had crawled his way to the line, but the Blues came again to snatch a remarkable upset that few had predicted.

Victory for the Blues propels Vern Cotter’s men into a semifinal next week against the Crusaders in Christchurch, where the home side have never lost a playoff match.

“Not yet,” Cotter quipped of the Crusaders’ record after upsetting the Chiefs. “They’re always going to lose there one day.”

The triumph for the Blues allows another week for All Blacks wing Mark Tele’a, one-test playmaker Harry Plummer, hooker Ricky Riccitelli and loose forward Adrian Choat, all of whom are set to depart at the end of the season.

Despite suffering their first home defeat in eight matches, the Chiefs survive by virtue of finishing first, which guarantees progression to a home semifinal as the highest-ranked lucky loser. Their opponents will be the Brumbies, who saw off the Hurricanes 35-28 in the last qualifying final in Canberra.

The Chiefs were dealt a setback before kickoff as captain Luke Jacobson was ruled out with a shoulder concern, with Kaylum Boshier promoted to start in his place and Tupou Vaa’i assuming the captaincy, but there are no excuses and they are somewhat fortunate to remain in the hunt for an elusive title.

Chiefs coach Clayton McMillian is now sweating on an ankle injury to loose forward Simon Parker but he dismissed the notion that a second life may have contributed to the loss.

“Not at all. We knew we wanted to win this game and put the Blues to bed,” McMillan said. “Wins like this will fuel more confidence. We don’t enter games thinking about next week. This group generally responds well to a loss and we’ll need to.”

If anyone was under any illusions that the regular season counts for little and the playoffs demand a different style, the Blues trumping the Chiefs should reinforce both those notions.

Sweeping movements and attacking breakouts were in short supply on a fresh Saturday night as the Chiefs and Blues engaged in a conversative, combative slugfest.

Throughout the first half, the Blues defended their line, forced to make 130 tackles, as the Chiefs pounded away without reward.

Eventually, though, midway through the second half, the dam burst for the Blues when Chiefs centre Daniel Rona crashed over for the opening try to establish a 13-point buffer.

That could have been curtains for the Blues but they refused to drop their heads.

In another blown chance Caleb Clarke lost the ball over the line in Samipeni Finau’s try-saving tackle but from the resulting penalty, replacement hooker Kurt Eklund barged his way over to set up a frantic finish.

With a role reversal of the first spell, the Blues controlled the ball and relentlessly pushed to crack the Chiefs’ line. First, Sotutu thought he had the match-winner but it was left for Beehre to be the unlikely hero.

Last year, the Blues largely dominated their way to their first title in 21 years. While this year is in stark contrast, Cotter remains confident they can maintain their momentum.

“You’ve just got to qualify. Our defence has shown the team has never lost faith in what we’re doing,” Cotter said. “If you look at the first half, we were comfortable on defence. We were surprised they were coming at us direct. As soon as we came off the line and met them, that took away the advantage they were trying to create.

“Qualifying sixth means you’re in. It’s one 80-minute game. Being part of a playoff situation brings out the best in us. You saw that tonight. The guys were locked in. It also means there’s pride in the team.

“Last year was good and there’s intentions to keep winning and have a crack. We don’t want to give it away that easy.”

For all their first-half dominance, the Chiefs had little to show for it. Their conservative, freight-train approach – largely employing one-off runners close to the ruck – was met with stiff, resilient resistance from the Blues.

With a combination of fumbles and penalties, the Chiefs blew five attacking raids in the Blues’ red zone. Their best chance came after Rona pounced on the loose ball to spark a breakaway, only for Cortez Ratima to drop the bouncing ball with the line open.

The Blues were content to back their defiant defence and play without the ball. They consistently chased territory through Beauden Barrett’s boot but barely entered the Chiefs’ half with ball in hand.

Riccitelli copped a yellow card for tripping Damian McKenzie while he attempted to chase a chip kick, allowing the Chiefs to push out to a 9-3 lead, but Barrett almost pulled off a turning point.

Just before the break, Barrett faked to kick, then stepped and put in a grubber that found space. He shot through the line and dove on the ball, hoping to slide over the line, but left it behind him to botch a brilliant sequence.

Despite living off scraps, the Blues, on the rare occasions they had a crack, were more dangerous than the Chiefs with ball in hand.

Don’t write off the Blues, indeed.

They now seek to harness their renewed confidence and underdog mentality to take the most difficult route to the finale.

As Blues captain Patrick Tuiputlou said of the semifinal that awaits against the Crusaders: “I’m looking forward to it. What better way to make our way to the final. We’ll enjoy this win, keep our head down, prepare well and beat them in their own backyard.”

The Chiefs, meanwhile, will attempt to regroup and make the most of their second life.

Chiefs 19 (Daniel Rona try; Damian McKenzie con, 4 pens)

Blues 20 (Kurt Eklund, Josh Beehre tries; Beauden Barrett 2 cons, 2 pens)

HT: 9-3