The Blues delivered another Super Rugby classic in a brutal semi final clash against the Crusaders but fell just short, losing 21-14 in Christchurch.
The Blues started hot, showing plenty of attacking intent with Beauden Barrett trying to implement his tactical kicking game early.
AJ Lam’s clever nudge earned the Blues their first red zone opportunity with a five metre scrum.
The Blues were patient, sending one off runners towards the line drawing in the Crusaders defenders. Space opened on the right edge, with Barrett firing a cut-out pass to Mark Tele’a who opened the scoring.
After Braydon Ennor was shown yellow, the Blues immediately looked to take advantage of the numerical advantage and crossed for a second try shortly after.
After setting a five-metre scrum, Finlay Christie fired the ball to Tele’a, who popped a short ball to Rieko Ioane who powered over, making him the all-time leading Blues try scorer (56) and giving the Blues an early 14-0 lead after the conversion.
The Crusaders responded with two first half tries, aided by a yellow card to Joshua Fusitu’a, with the game tied 14-14 at the break.
The Blues laid siege to the Crusaders’ line early in the second half, with Ricky Riccitelli held up inches short. At the other end, desperate defence kept the Crusaders at bay until the 70th minute, when they finally broke through to take the lead.
With their season on the line, the Blues they threw everything at the Crusaders. A yellow card in the 75th to Hoskins Sotutu didn’t help the effort, but they continued to attack.
As the clock turned red the Blues were right on the line, building 40 phases under penalty advantage as they looked to take the game to extra time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, with the ball popping out of the ruck and the Crusaders pouncing, holding on to win a thriller.
Dalton Papali’i and Patrick Tuipulotu led with heart, combining for 30 tackles, while Zarn Sullivan looked sharp in his return and Tele’a remained electric throughout.
Although the ending wasn’t what the Blues or their supporters had hoped for, they can hold their heads high. In a season of ups and downs, to take the Crusaders to the wire was a massive effort and shows just how much heart this team has.