As much as you had to admire the NSW Waratahs ripping into the opening period at Eden Park, the superior power and skill of the Blues swamped them.
The Blues advance to the semi-finals with Friday’s clearcut 41-12 victory in the opening quarter-final. The Waratahs are abruptly into the off-season to ponder a 6-8 season, sixth and just a handful of games where they played at max impact.
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The Blues went on a 28-0 tear from late in the first half to the 70thminute. What did we learn?
1 WING LESSON
The botched Dylan Pietsch no-try midway through the first half was a crucial turning point. The Waratahs might have led 14-10 with a successful conversion instead of having to chase the game more and more.
You can give Beauden Barrett and Finlay Christie great credit for their urgency in cover defence but let’s look at the skill element.
Pietsch had plenty of time to transfer the ball to his outside arm and dive in lower to the turf to give him protection for a clean grounding.
Instead, keeping it under his right arm exposed the ball to Christie dislodging it. Not a great winger moment.
2 FAREWELL HOOPS
Michael Hooper’s 141st and last game in the Waratahs jersey leaves him without a win at Eden Park for NSW or the Wallabies.
The big-hearted flanker poured everything into his swansong game. He was a part of that early defensive line speed that put a bit of pressure on the Blues.
He’d made 20 tackles by the 70th minute and kept on going.
His timing of cleanouts, his short bursts with the ball, his work off the ball and his organisational nous all stood out. That effort and expertise will be missed.
3 WARATAHS’ SELECTION TRICKS
It was a late and smart move from the Waratahs to switch three of their backs into their specialist positions…Mark Nawaqnitawase to the wing, Izaia Perese to outside centre and Joey Walton to inside centre.
The flipside was having Ben Donaldson switch to fullback where he’s just a fill-in.
Ultimately, the switches made not a great deal of difference.
Having Perese closer to the action paid off when he swooped on a bouncing ball from a Barrett kick and set up lock Ned Hanigan for the opening try.
The Waratahs’ kicking game was superior in the first half with Nawaqanitawase catching a Harrison Goddard high ball and igniting another wave of attack.
Hanigan had an excellent first half but en masse the Blues blotted the Waratahs out in the second half, especially at the breakdown.
4 MARK TELEA
It’s been some season from the Blues winger who scored his 12th try late in the game.
He deservedly equalled the Blues record of 12 tries in a season held by Doug Howlett.
Telea shrugged off three defenders to ignite the 80m try that got the Blues on the board through the Finlay Christie try. Missing those tackles is always fatal against the Blues.
The numbers…11 runs for 97m and eight defenders beaten by one count. They are impressive and we’ll be seeing more of him as an All Black.
5 WHAT NOW IN 2024?
No Hooper is huge. Having prop Te Tera Faulkner, back-up hooker Tolu Latu and utility forward Taleni Seu finishing at the Tahs is also a sign of the Waratahs preparing a new-look pack in 2024.
There’ll be other names missing too.
If you are marking the Waratahs overall, they went backwards from 2022 so there's plenty of regrouping to do.
