Blues get the job done

[pieter blackie]

Blues get the job done

The Blues cruised to a bonus-point 46-12 win over the Cheetahs in Albany on Friday, running in the all-important fourth try shortly after half-time and rarely moving out of third gear.

The Cheetahs were worryingly devoid of spirit early on, giving the hosts ample opportunity to get a grip on the game. Anthony Tuitavake scored the first try after four minutes, Wayne van Heerden was yellow-carded for preventing a certain try with an off-the-ball tackle two minutes later, and when Chris Lowrey finished off an annihilation of the Cheeahs scrum with 15 minutes gone, the game was up.

This was the worst day yet at the office for the visitors. Cumulative weeks of physical abrasion from opposition runners have obviously taken their toll on the plauers' psyche, but there is a level of tackling that is acceptable in defeat and the Cheetahs were nowhere near it.

At the end, they did rally a little, maybe even ending unfortunate not to have notched four tries in defeat but at some point the players need to see that a vain late rally is not enough.

The Blues, predictably, opened up the game as much as possible and reaped the rewards, irrespective of how easy their guests made it for them.

The first try was a direct result of that, with Taniela Moa tapping and going from a free-kick, Chris Lowrey brushing off limp tackles out right and Tuitavake going over unmarked from an inside pass. The speed of the move caught the Cheetahs entirely unawares, which should not happen early on.

Neither should the dreadful positioning of Jongi Nokwe, which allowed Jimmy Gopperth to fire a long-range kick into the right-hand corner and launch the next attack.

At that attack, Wayne van Heerden prevented a certain try by tackling Jerome Kaino long before the breaking Michael Hobbs had offloaded to him, earning van Heerden a yellow card and Gopperth three points.

The scorers:

For the Blues:
Tries: Tuitavake, Lowrey, Toeava, Moa, Helleur, Smylie
Cons: Gopperth 5
Pens: Gopperth 2

For the Cheetahs:
Tries: Uys, Floors
Con: Potgieter

Yellow cards: Van Heerden (7, Cheetahs, professional foul), Haiu (52, Blues, dangerous tackle)

Blues get the job done

[Burgs]

"Cheetahs to be relegated, replaced by the SA womens Sevens team"

[jargan83]

and the saffers realisticly think they need a 6th side?
Posted via Mobile Device

[blueandblack]

and the saffers realisticly think they need a 6th side?
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gives them (to their mind) a better chance mathematically of getting a side into the finals.

[force addict]

the Saffa on the rugby club last night said that a 6th Saffa team was out of the question...

too right!

[Burgs]

And Hugh Bladen is one who would know, he's more than the sum of our commentators and journo's when it comes to Union/

[GIGS20]

And Hugh Bladen is one who would know, he's more than the sum of our commentators and journo's when it comes to Union/

If you listened to the interview carefully, he actually said he supported THREE SA sides in the comp......that's it, three!

Wonder which three he was talking about?


Seriously though, the provincial nature of this tournament seems to be causing trouble all around the shop.....Aussie teams swap players left and right, leaving very little provincial loyalty, NZ teams not only have a draft, but have a system where teams such as the Blues can go to North Harbour in their catchment area, and play a home game in front of a crowd who in general hates the blues, crazy, South Africa is a hotbed of infighting, where there's a certain amount of loyalty to the franchise, but some very weak franchises, seemingly more due to political clout than finance.

Is it time to move away from a provincial model and try some other model to divide the teams up?

Suggestions, thoughts, ritual abuse?