You needed to savour the Beauden Barrett Show in Melbourne on Saturday night because his rare talent is on a last lap of Australian venues in Super Rugby Pacific.
The skills that set up the excellent Mark Telea try when the Blues went into overdrive in the second half left the Melbourne Rebels with no answer.
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Thanks to flyhalf Barrett and his sparky sidekick Finlay Christie, the Blues swamped the Rebels with a 41-0 second half blitz to win 54-17.
What did we learn?
1 BARRETT ON FIRE
Flyhalf Barrett is off to Japan with Toyota Verblitz after the Rugby World Cup so the May 19 clash against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane is likely to be his last Super Rugby game on Australian shores.
Enjoy his skills while you can.
Under advantage in the second half, Barrett popped a little chip kick over the top which he regathered. In an instant, he was kicking again, this time a perfectly weighted crossfield effort to set up Telea for a try.
On full-time, he dabbed a final kick over the top to present Dalton Papalii with a try. Barrett was back as a smiling ringmaster after some patchy early season form.
2 HEART FROM UELESE
The Rebels played the whole second half without both hookers with Alex Mafi (broken hand) and Jordan Uelese (knee) grounded.
Uelese could easily have been replaced in the final minute of the first half as he lay on the turf in pain. Instead, he got to the 5m lineout set by the Rebels and delivered a pinpoint throw.
A driving maul gathered speed and Uelese limped-ran to it to throw his big body behind the last few strides of momentum that shunted flanker Brad Wilkin over the tryline.
It was a show of resilience that would have made Wallabies boss Eddie Jones a happy man after picking the Rebels hooker for his upcoming camp.
3 RYAN LOUWRENS
Rebels coach Kevin Foote knew what he was doing when he recruited halfback Ryan Louwrens for a second stint in Melbourne.
The South African halfback’s competitive streak, organisational skills, workrate and reliable pass were again an essential element of the Rebels’ best passages in the first half.
4 RANGA POWER
There was no direct evidence of a post-game selection meeting for Super Rugby Pacific’s 2023 Ranga XV but two certainties excelled at AAMI Park.
Blues red nut Finlay Christie was outstanding in his two-try game. The young All Blacks halfback schemed and was always active.
He had multiple touches in the lead-up to his first try with a run, a sharp pass and backing up for the final pop ball.
His use of the shortside was a feature.
Rebels skipper Brad Wilkin scored his own try and was kept making tackles in another busy performance.
Back-up NSW Waratahs flyhalf Tane Edmed, Brumbies prop Tom Ross, Waratahs prop Harry Johnson-Holmes, Reds squad halfback Spencer Jeans, Force prop Bo Abra, Rebels backline utility Andrew Kellaway and Blues backrower Tom Robinson add to the strong red core.
5 REBELS FADEOUT
The Rebels were really solid in the first half and deserved their 17-13 lead.
The sweeping 95m play for the Kellaway try was superb. The Carter Gordon backhanded pass, the big Joe Pincus dash, Gordon’s sharp flat ball to winger Lachy Anderson and the sustained pressure to take the try was five-star.
Putting the kick-off out on the full to open the second half was a bad sign of imprecision to come.
The first half loss of frontline lock Trevor Hosea and two hookers ruined the Rebels stability at the scrum and lineout.
Going down to 13 men late in the second half made them sitting ducks for the Blues who always excel when games loosen up.
The Blues were idling at 3-3 before this match got them rolling again. Fast ball, up tempo attack and the fatigue in the game turned into a perfect storm.
