End of the road for Blues

Blues second five-eighths Tamati Ellison scoots past Morgan Turinui in Sydney last night. Picture / Fotopress

Waratahs 25 Blues 20

The Blues failed their final exam of the season and any outside shot at the Super 12 playoffs last night when they faded to their third successive loss.

A makeshift Blues side, hit by injuries and illness, took the game to the Waratahs early before they succumbed to the pattern, possession and persistence of the Sydneysiders.

The Blues could lament their long casualty list - especially in the inside backs - for their failure to qualify for the semifinals. But for some time they could pick from a squad where all the starting XV, except tighthead prop John Afoa, had been All Blacks.

Varying suspensions for five players, repeat mistakes from round one, a lack of clout and shortage of bonus points unhinged the Blues season.

However, they also denied the Waratahs the bonus point they craved, with a desperate tackle from replacement Rudi Wulf stopping a probable fourth try.

The result promoted the Crusaders to the top of the table after their emphatic 40-20 win against the Hurricanes gave them a better points differential than the Waratahs.

Defeat for the Blues ended the four-season coaching stint of Peter Sloane, with a review to start soon on whether former Brumbies supremo David Nucifora is promoted to succeed Sloane.

Under Sloane, the Blues won 30 matches, lost 15 and drew one, with the 2003 title their best result.

The Blues attacked from the start, using the width of Aussie Stadium, quick lineout throws and the speed of their back three to try to split the Waratahs.

There was some early success when right-wing Doug Howlett scored in the left corner after an impressive series of plays from the Blues, capped by a sideline conversion from Luke McAlister.

The Waratahs struggled with the pace of the game and their lack of possession, while their scrum was regularly disrupted by the visitors.

But the lineout was the Waratahs' domain, the threat from jumpers Daniel Vickerman and Justin Harrison forcing the Blues into some different calls, while Keven Mealamu struggled with his throwing accuracy in the breeze.

A botched Blues backline move eased the pressure on the Waratahs when Nathan Grey hacked the loose ball downfield to score. Not long after, the Waratahs' leading points scorer Peter Hewat added another try after some nifty lead-up work from Mat Rogers.

When No 8 David Lyons scored the Waratahs' third try after 50 minutes there seemed little doubt the hosts would achieve their goal.

But they stalled against the tenacious Blues defence and their own uncertainty, and eventually conceded a try to flanker Justin Collins.

Waratahs 25 (N. Grey, P. Hewat, D. Lyons tries; P. Hewat 2 con, 2 pen)

Blues 20 (D. Howlett, J. Collins tries; L. McAlister 2 con, 2 pen)

HT: 12-7.