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Auckland - A thoroughly dominant first half allowed the Blues to crush an injury-depleted Waratahs 31-17 in a five-try bonus-point romp in their Super Rugby clash at Eden Park on Saturday.
A refreshed Blues, returning after a week off, had their crucial fourth try within 26 minutes and led 31-7 at half-time as they ruled the first half and derailed the Waratahs' three-match winning streak.
But from being on the ropes at the break, the Waratahs rallied to control much of the second half, picking up two tries and keeping the Blues scoreless.
Although the Aucklanders never looked in danger of surrendering their lead, there were signs they were reverting to the inconsistency that has plagued them in the past.
"I think sometimes when you get away to a lead like that, there is a tendency to let the foot off the throat. We can do a lot better and make sure we finish the 80 minutes," said captain Keven Mealamu.
In the first half, the Blues had everything their own way as they worked on two well-rehearsed game plans.
Their back three Isaia Toeava, Rene Ranger and Joe Rokocoko had too much pace and power on the outside, while chip kicks from inside backs Stephen Brett and Luke McAlister targeted holes behind the Waratahs' defensive line.
Fullback Toeava was also prominent on defence, with three try-saving tackles early in the second half when the Waratahs spent a long period camped deep in Auckland territory.
That the Waratahs have more than a quarter of their squad sidelined with injury might help to explain their lack of impact, but captain Dean Mumm said their second-half dominance showed they could compete.
"You're never going to win a game with a first half like that. It was pretty disappointing effort by us defensively. But I'm certainly proud of the fact we didn't give in at half time," he said.
Blues props John Afoa and Tevita Mailau scored the first two tries -- Afoa latched on to a McAlister chip kick, and Mailau was on hand for the last pass after a break by centre Jared Payne.
Another McAlister chip kick resulted in a try to Payne before McAlister and Toeava combined to put Ranger over for the bonus-point try as the Blues raced to a 26-0 lead at a point-a-minute pace.
It was a points difference that finally awoke the Waratahs, who mounted a sustained attack on the Blues line resulting in a try to Daniel Halangahu - which Kurtley Beale converted in his one successful shot at goal.
Just on half-time, Alby Mathewson squirreled over to score the Blues' fifth and final try.
The second half was all the Waratahs, and after several aborted attempts to cross the Blues line they were eventually successful when the passes stuck in a sustained build-up and Drew Mitchell scored in the corner.
Ryan Cross followed up with a try 12 minutes from the end, benefiting from a series of soft tackles as the Blues' defence began to falter.
In next weekend's Round 10 action, the Blues host the Rebels in Auckland, while the Waratahs travel to Brisbane to face the Reds.
Teams:
Blues:
15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Luke McAllister, 11 Rene Ranger, 10 Stephen Brett, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Luke Braid, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Anthony Boric, 4 Kurtis Haiu, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu (captain), 1 Tevita Mailau
Substitutes: 16 Tom McCartney, 17 Pauliasi Manu, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Chris Lowrey, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 Lachie Munro, 22 Benson Stanley
Waratahs:
15 Lachie Turner, 14 Tom Kingston, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Daniel Halangahu, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 Pat McCutcheon, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm (captain), 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson
Substitutes: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Al Baxter, 18 Pat O’Connor, 19 Sitaleki Timani, 20 Chris Allcock, 21 Brendan McKibbin, 22 Sosene Anesi
A refreshed Blues, returning after a week off, had their crucial fourth try within 26 minutes and led 31-7 at half-time as they ruled the first half and derailed the Waratahs' three-match winning streak.
But from being on the ropes at the break, the Waratahs rallied to control much of the second half, picking up two tries and keeping the Blues scoreless.
Although the Aucklanders never looked in danger of surrendering their lead, there were signs they were reverting to the inconsistency that has plagued them in the past.
"I think sometimes when you get away to a lead like that, there is a tendency to let the foot off the throat. We can do a lot better and make sure we finish the 80 minutes," said captain Keven Mealamu.
In the first half, the Blues had everything their own way as they worked on two well-rehearsed game plans.
Their back three Isaia Toeava, Rene Ranger and Joe Rokocoko had too much pace and power on the outside, while chip kicks from inside backs Stephen Brett and Luke McAlister targeted holes behind the Waratahs' defensive line.
Fullback Toeava was also prominent on defence, with three try-saving tackles early in the second half when the Waratahs spent a long period camped deep in Auckland territory.
That the Waratahs have more than a quarter of their squad sidelined with injury might help to explain their lack of impact, but captain Dean Mumm said their second-half dominance showed they could compete.
"You're never going to win a game with a first half like that. It was pretty disappointing effort by us defensively. But I'm certainly proud of the fact we didn't give in at half time," he said.
Blues props John Afoa and Tevita Mailau scored the first two tries -- Afoa latched on to a McAlister chip kick, and Mailau was on hand for the last pass after a break by centre Jared Payne.
Another McAlister chip kick resulted in a try to Payne before McAlister and Toeava combined to put Ranger over for the bonus-point try as the Blues raced to a 26-0 lead at a point-a-minute pace.
It was a points difference that finally awoke the Waratahs, who mounted a sustained attack on the Blues line resulting in a try to Daniel Halangahu - which Kurtley Beale converted in his one successful shot at goal.
Just on half-time, Alby Mathewson squirreled over to score the Blues' fifth and final try.
The second half was all the Waratahs, and after several aborted attempts to cross the Blues line they were eventually successful when the passes stuck in a sustained build-up and Drew Mitchell scored in the corner.
Ryan Cross followed up with a try 12 minutes from the end, benefiting from a series of soft tackles as the Blues' defence began to falter.
In next weekend's Round 10 action, the Blues host the Rebels in Auckland, while the Waratahs travel to Brisbane to face the Reds.
Teams:
Blues:
15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Luke McAllister, 11 Rene Ranger, 10 Stephen Brett, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Luke Braid, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Anthony Boric, 4 Kurtis Haiu, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu (captain), 1 Tevita Mailau
Substitutes: 16 Tom McCartney, 17 Pauliasi Manu, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Chris Lowrey, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 Lachie Munro, 22 Benson Stanley
Waratahs:
15 Lachie Turner, 14 Tom Kingston, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Daniel Halangahu, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 Pat McCutcheon, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm (captain), 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson
Substitutes: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Al Baxter, 18 Pat O’Connor, 19 Sitaleki Timani, 20 Chris Allcock, 21 Brendan McKibbin, 22 Sosene Anesi
