Rugby: Vidiri rampage ignites blue magic

By WYNNE GRAY

Joeli Vidiri overcame his quaint piece of personal Super 12 rugby history in much the same way the Blues obliterated the Bulls.

In five seasons of Super 12 action, the Blues wing had scored against every side except the Bulls. He made up for that by going on a rampage at Eden Park on Saturday night with four tries in the Blues' 54-11 victory.

That tally powered Vidiri to a competition-high 39 tries, two ahead of Joe Roff, while his quartet of touchdowns equalled the individual match records held by Roff, Gavin Lawless and Stefan Terblanche.

And the 27-year-old former All Black delivered his mark in just 70 minutes after referee Wayne Erickson harshly put him in the sinbin for a swinging arm tackle.

"It was time for something to come my way," said Vidiri with a smile which outbeamed Norm Berryman's best. "I got a bit of space and we also had the ball going forward. You can't do anything if you are flat all the time."

The Bulls will attest to that, though they were more incompetent than flat. Their abysmal handling, consistent turnovers, indiscipline and haphazard backline did no justice to the Super 12.

They were so poor they went against the regular trend and conceded points when Vidiri was off the field and then yesterday had lock Krynauw Otto cited for foul play. Most of his team-mates should be cited for polluting the series.

Blues skipper Robin Brooke tried to be diplomatic, but conceded the Bulls were not of any great quality, had been niggly and it would have been easy for his side to retaliate.

"But it is a bit like a powerplay in ice hockey - you can't afford it."

The Blues hit back in the best way. They scored eight tries, seven converted by Adrian Cashmore, and left yesterday for South Africa with a swag of renewed confidence and a full squad. The only slight casualty was Charles Riechelmann, who needed stitches after Otto's bootwork and was later left dazed after a solid tackle.

Match organisers probably learned a bit, too, about getting crowds to Eden Park. Aucklanders are like any others. When they see a bargain they will respond, and about 25,000 turned up to take advantage of rock-bottom ticket prices.

They saw some rotten rugby from the Bulls, some steady Blues football and chunks of quite dazzling stuff from the squad now badgering their way towards the semifinals.

The forwards are maintaining their standards, though they will need to work on their scrum. Hooker Davin Heaps had his most influential match, while lock Troy Flavell was prominent in a worthy tight five.

First-five Carlos Spencer was even more persuasive than in his return last week. His decisions led to a number of tries, while his kicking relieved and exerted enormous pressure. There were a couple of wobbly punts but his switches of play, backing up, deft touches and organisation suggested he was getting near to some of his better form of 1997.

Vidiri, with just one try this season before Saturday's sackful, reckoned Spencer helped to rekindle his game.

"Carlos has that experience and I feel confident when he is running the backline," said Vidiri. "He talks a lot and makes a lot of good calls."

So did the big wing. His final try, a double chip and regather, was a magical piece of skill for a huge, powerful, pacy man.