KEY POINTS:
The only successful conclusion that can ever be drawn from pre-season matches is that no conclusions can be reached. Even so, the 21-17 victory by the Chiefs at Pukekohe yesterday presented some interesting pointers.
There were no All Blacks and a long list of injured on the Chiefs
side, meaning there was no hope of any sensible analysis of the long-term merits of the two sides. The Waikato-based franchise perhaps dipped deeper into its wider training group than the Blues and could thus be a little more satisfied with the win - snatched by a last-minute try to big winger Save Kotulu after an eye-catching break by the other winger, the rangy Tim Mikkelson.
Neither of these two will be much seen, one presumes, if Sitiveni Sivivatu and Lelia Masaga are available, although Super 14 is very much a squad competition these days, hence the Chiefs' satisfaction with the win and the performances of some of their younger brigade.
They had more of the ball and the territory but, with a few minutes to go, the Blues seemed to have the game in hand before Mikkelsen was fed the ball, propped and sliced open a large hole in a Blues defence which previously looked highly organised for the third week in January. Several times during the match, the Chiefs battered away at the Blues line only to be held out.
There were so many changes of personnel over the four quarters of the match that any kind of continuity was difficult but it was still possible to make the following assessments:
Masaga was the most dangerous attacker on the field. The word from on high last year was that, good as he is going forward, he needs to scrub up his defence if he wants higher honours. He marked former All Black winger Rudi Wulf, chosen for his all-round skills and, if Masaga showed his attacking brilliance to score a fine try to put the Chiefs up 14-5, Wulf looked more proficient in his work rate and skills.
The Chiefs front row looked entirely better with nuggety Hawkes Bay prop Sona Taumololo in it than not and new 122kg prop James McGougan looked interesting.
No 8 Colin Bourke showed he might have to be fitted in somewhere with Liam Messam and Sione Lauaki.
Dwayne Sweeney was typically awkward to catch when he ran in broken play and Chiefs youngsters like first-five Mike Delany, flanker Luke Braid, Jack Lam and Jackson Willison showed out well.
However, perhaps the most interesting duel took place within the Blues around the all-important No 10 jersey.
Jimmy Gopperth started the game and played for three of the quarters - and did enough to suggest that last year's rumblings that Tasesa Lavea would be first choice for the Blues might yet be up for a rethink.
Lavea did well enough in his one quarter but Gopperth played a key role in two of the Blues' three tries, distributed well and took the ball to the line - particularly good at finding runners in space.
For young No 8 Chris Lowrey's first try, Gopperth handled the ball three times, directing play left and right in a long bout of Blues possession close to the Chiefs line before Lowrey crunched over after good lead-up work by flanker Onosai Auva'a and lock Dean Budd.
For Lowrey's second, the big No 8 stayed out on the wing. From a penalty Gopperth spotted him, delivered a perfectly judged cross-field kick and Lowrey stepped inside the defence to score, after good runs from new winger Rene Ranger and centre Winston Stanley. Ranger also saved a certain try with a spot tackle off his wing.
The only blemish on Gopperth's game were the two conversions missed which, as luck would have it, was the difference between the two sides.
Chiefs 21 (S. Anesi, L. Masaga, S. Tokula tries; M. Delany 2 con; D. Sweeney con), Blues 17 (C. Lowrey 2, M. Hobbs tries; T. Lavea con). HT: Chiefs 14-10.