The Blues men delivered a classic in Christchurch but fell agonisingly short in a 25-22 defeat to the Crusaders on Friday night.
In a game played in tough conditions, it was a real battle from start to finish, with neither side able to take full control. The Crusaders struck early, crossing inside the opening minutes to take a 7-0 lead. From there, the Blues threw wave after wave at their line, and while Joshua Fusitu’a looked to have scored in the 20th minute, a knock-on in the build-up denied the try.
They didn’t have to wait long. The forwards went to work and finally cracked the Crusaders’ defence, with Josh Beehre charging over to level things up 7-7. It stayed tight until the stroke of halftime, when the Crusaders crossed again to take a 14-7 lead into the sheds.
They extended that to 19-7 early in the second half, but the Blues weren’t done. Sustained pressure on the Crusaders' line finally paid off, with Hoskins Sotutu spotting a gap and surging through to score.
Moments later, the Blues camped inside the 22 once more, and in the play of the game, Sotutu flung a miracle offload out the back to AJ Lam, who powered through to level the scores at 19-19 with 17 to play.
Beauden Barrett then stepped up, slotting a penalty to bring up 1500 career Super Rugby points and give the Blues their first lead, 22–19.
But late scrum penalties proved costly. One in the 71st minute saw the Crusaders equalise, and another on full-time gave them the match-winner. A brutal way to lose a classic, with the Blues edged 25–22.
Next up: a must-win clash in Brisbane against a red-hot Reds side. It’s shaping up to be a belter.