Moana Pasifika players celebrate their win over the Blues. Photo / Photosport
Moana Pasifika 27
Blues 21
As the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs draw near, don’t be surprised to see the Moana Pasifika bandwagon begin to fill up at pace.
The surprise package of the season, they’re a team who have proven they can step up when the lights shine brightest.
They beat the Crusaders in Christchurch. They topped the Hurricanes and Highlanders during the season. They gave the Chiefs a scare after trailing by 36 at halftime.
Now, they’ve outmuscled the Blues to earn a 27-21 win and move inside the top six.
Led by an immense performance from captain Ardie Savea, Moana Pasifika were physical from the outset, challenged the Blues at the breakdown, defended well and attacked the space they were able to create when they got the ball in their hands.
The side kept the same energy from start to finish, fittingly closing it out by shutting down a Blues attack from a 5m scrum with Savea getting a turnover at the breakdown.
“We worked really hard on our defence. We knew where they were coming. They’re a big group, we knew they were going to get up for the cross-town rivalry,” Moana Pasifika coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga told Sky Sport.
“We just had to weather the storm. We talked about it a lot; if we could wear them down, we know we can get into the right parts of the field; we can do some magic with the ball in our hands and you saw that tonight.”
Winger Kyren Taumoefolau, who has been a rising star of the competition throughout the campaign, scored a hat-trick – including an impressive kick-and-collect try to push his side out by 13 points.
That third try was particularly impressive, given Moana Pasifika had gone a man down with Pepesana Patafilo in the sin bin for a high shot that left Blues loose forward Anton Segner having to be taken from the field on a medicab.
The Blues had their moments and spent plenty of time in attacking territory in the first half, while they had two periods when they had a numbers advantage with Moana Pasifika prop Tito Tuipulotu also spending time in the sin bin.
However, the Blues struggled with their discipline all evening and they were made to pay for being unable to capitalise on their opportunities.
The side did, however, do enough to secure a losing bonus point, which could yet prove to be vital in their hopes of earning a playoff spot.
After Moana Pasifika opened the scoring with a Patrick Pellegrini penalty goal, the Blues were awarded a penalty try in the 26th minute as Tuipulotu was deemed to have brought down a rolling maul which would have otherwise resulted in a Blues try.
Pellegrini added another three soon after, but which Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu scored in the 34th minute for his side to take an eight-point lead, the visitors had the upper hand.
Taumoefolau tries either side of halftime – separated by two more Pellegrini penalties – saw that deficit turned into a lead of the same margin, before the winger’s third of the night gave his side a lead that would be tough to run down.
The Blues did strike again through No 8 Hoskins Sotutu, but Moana Pasifika were able to negate a late challenge to their line to close out the win.
Moana Pasifika 27 (Kyren Taumoefolau 3 tries; Patrick Pellegrini 4 pens)
Blues 21 (Penalty try, Patrick Tuipulotu, Hoskins Sotutu tries; Beauden Barrett 2 cons)
HT: 11-14
