Beauden Barrett enjoys a rare Blues victory in Christchurch. Photo / Getty
Beauden Barrett enjoys a rare Blues victory in Christchurch. Photo / Getty
Blues coach Leon MacDonald expressed only one disappointment after his side's breakthrough win over the Crusaders on Good Friday: "Shame there's no pubs open."
MacDonald and the Blues certainly deserved a chance to toast their success after tasting victory in Christchurch for the first time since 2004, snapping a 14-matchlosing streak with a spirited 27-23 triumph over the five-time defending champions.
The win was the Blues' seventh in eight games this Super Rugby season and they will now head to Australia for the transtasman section of the competition on top of the table.
MacDonald, who was part of the last Crusaders side to lose to the Blues at home, believed the resolute manner of their victory would bode well for his side's prospects in the second half of the season.
"That's a big monkey off the back, for sure," the coach said. "We've come here with high hopes the last couple of years and walked away with a hiding.
"The sleepy moments that have haunted us in previous years are becoming less, which is extremely important and something we talk about often, nailing those key moments.
"Then you just put in a little bit of desire - just that want to walk away with a win. There's been plenty of examples of that in the last few weeks."
Beauden Barrett enjoys a rare Blues victory in Christchurch. Photo / Getty
MacDonald called the game a great showcase for rugby and said it was played with test-match intensity, a view supported by Beauden Barrett.
"I've certainly played test matches where it wasn't that intense," Barrett said. "As expected, the Crusaders fought to the end, and there were one or two key moments in that game that probably could've gone either way.
"But I love the fight we have in this team and how hard we work for each other."
Barrett thought the Blues, having built a 24-10 lead, played too defensively in the final half hour and handed the initiative back to the Crusaders. But when asked about the crucial components in the win, he praised the way his side eventually did see out of the game.
"Probably the belief and not infringing," Barrett said. "Our discipline is key in those moments - it would be easy to give away a penalty and they kick it to the corner and score a maul try. But we just trusted our defence, took them to phases and it gave us opportunities to force errors.
"We know that it's only halfway through the season so we're not going to get too carried away, but it is a significant milestone for us and we can take a lot of confidence from what we're doing and carry that through the rest of the season."
The first chance to do that will be in Melbourne on Saturday night, with a clash against Fijian Drua. The Blues thrived against Australian opposition while taking out Super Rugby Transtasman last year and Barrett's focus was already switching to securing a strong enough position to earn more silverware.
"It's those home playoff spots that we're fighting for," he said. "So if we get a packed Eden Park, that's going to be significant for us in the playoffs, and that's what we're aiming for."
