KEY POINTS:
The Blues maintained their damaging Super 14 rugby form with a 34-6 win over a helpless Waratahs in tonight's rugby match at Eden Park.
Skipper Troy Flavell, again one the Blues' best, secured the bonus point with his second try in the 74th minute.
It was Blues' sixth
win which left them leading the points table on 28 after the opening match of round seven.
The Sharks can reclaim first place if they beat the Brumbies on Sunday, while the Waratahs are still firmly rooted in second to last.
The Sydney-based side have never won a game of Super rugby in Auckland, and they never looked like breaking that poor record tonight.
The Blues dominated every facet of the match and effectively had the game sealed heading into the break 16-7 ahead.
Extra scrutiny was placed on Blues coach David Nucifora this week as he resisted the temptation to play two key reconditioned All Blacks who returned to the fold.
Hooker Keven Mealamu, who made an appearance from the bench with 23 minutes remaining, was the only international required with lock Ali Williams and prop Tony Woodcock released to play club rugby.
Nucifora kept faith with the squad that have served him exceptionally well this season and he was richly rewarded as the forwards and backs complemented each other superbly.
The pack tackled aggressively around the fringes, secured tidy ball and charged through the opposition, while the backline, with fullback George Pisi to the fore, menaced the Waratahs with incisive runs which kept the defence constantly guessing.
The Waratahs' list of defects this season were again on display tonight.
Poor handling, a malfunctioning lineout and failure to compete at the breakdown contributed heavily to their downfall.
Pundits have noted the Blues crop of 2007 are more patient with the ball in hand, and that quality shone through in abundance with their opening try after 15 minutes.
Starting inside their own half, they displayed sublime handling and recycling skills through 14 phases sweeping across the park.
The relentless up-field march resulted in flanker Daniel Braid barging through three tacklers to dot down.
Second five-eighth Luke McAlister added the extras and 10 minutes later, the Waratahs' faltering line-out and some snappy passing amongst the forwards saw Flavell barrel over.
McAlister slotted the conversion, while the Waratahs' sole first half points coming from two Peter Hewat penalties.
The script continued after the break. McAlister kicked a penalty before halfback Steve Devine scored after receiving some loose ruck ball.
It was only a matter of time before the fourth try appeared as Flavell took an inside pass from a 5m scrum move to bag his second.
- NZPA