Late blitz delivers a real bonus for Blues

Mils Muliaina scores what the Blues have been looking to achieve all season - a bonus point try. Picture / Dean Purcell

Blues 36
Sharks 13


As flatterers and deceivers the Blues should be leading the Super 12.

Anyone tuning in for the opening stages and the final moments of their victory against the Sharks would have marvelled at the speed, dexterity and combination they brought to their play. It was as stunning and crisp as any coach would want.

The first piece of action was thrilling, with Blues five-eighths Tasesa Lavea scoring after multiple mistake-free phases from a lineout. It was a clinical exhibition, one to get the 26,790 crowd buzzing.

But sandwiched between the bookends was some very ordinary rugby from the Blues, a high mistake rate, the squandering of a number of chances and incredibly, just a 15-13 lead with half an hour left.

Three tries in the last nine minutes was a whizzbang conclusion that gave the Blues their first bonus point of the year.

It was the stuff which provoked widespread comments about the Blues' capricious character and their inability to dismember an ordinary Sharks side.

All sorts of theories about the error level were offered - that it was the result of the Blues trying too hard, that they had to contend with a tenacious opposition.

Not good enough really but, in the context of the Blues' season, the bonus point victory was a huge boost to the side and their trip today to South Africa.

That much was evident with the after-match press conference appearance of coach Peter Sloane, captain Xavier Rush and halfback Steve Devine who played his 50th match.

Four weeks ago in the same room, Sloane was shattered after his side had been spanked by the Crusaders. He looked as weary and broken as his side.

On Saturday at Eden Park, the coach and his players were ebullient.

They had been through the dogfight and come out with the Crufts supremo sash.

They knew they had battled. They acknowledged some of the struggles but it was not the time to obsess about that, it was a time to celebrate the result.

That had been evident when fullback Mils Muliaina was swamped by his delighted team-mates when his try gave the Blues their first bonus point for scoring four tries in a match.

That try capped a couple of pieces of late inspiration from Rush to lead his team to victory.

The No 8 stole a Sharks lineout throw which led to a Joe Rokocoko try and then, from a Sharks turnover, careered downfield before he fed Muliaina a superb pass.

No wonder Rush was beaming and Devine, who delivered a torrent of superb passes to Lavea then Luke McAlister when he took over at first five-eighths.

For the second week, Bradley Mika, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu and Jerome Kaino were impressive in the pack while Ben Atiga created some midfield momentum in his first match.

Sharks coach Dick Muir said his side was enthusiastic but down on self-belief while the Blues were also working on the balance between talent and experience.

They would find it tough in South Africa coming up against the Stormers and then the Bulls.