Highlanders struggle in rough 60-20 loss to Blues

The Highlanders showed the odd flicker of potential but slipped to a rough 60-20 loss to the Blues in their Super Rugby Pacific opener tonight.

As expected, the All Blacks-stacked Blues – who were so impressive last year before disintegrating in the final – just had too much pace, power and class across the field.

The Blues were brutally efficient when they got turnover ball and showed all their attacking threats.

By contrast, the Highlanders struggled for cohesion often as their passing, in particular, was wayward.

They had some good spells, notably at the end of the first half, but never consistently looked like getting on top of the game.

Lock Josh Dickson had a storming performance, Ethan de Groot was immense in the tight, and Mitch Hunt showed promise in his comeback from post-concussion symptoms though he did throw a late intercept pass for a try.

The Blues were led by a masterclass from winger Mark Telea, while halfback Finlay Christie was excellent and captain Dalton Papali’i popped up everywhere.

It was just 31-20 at the break, after the Highlanders’ first-half comeback, but the Blues came home with a wet sail to wreck the home team’s hopes of staying in the fight.

Three tries in the final 11 minutes blew out the score, and left the Highlanders under no illusions as to how much they need to improve.

An absolutely brutal six-minute spell in the middle of the first half appeared to indicate disaster for the Highlanders.

The teams had seemed fairly evenly matched until that point before the Blues, leading 10-6, decided to have a little fun – and that spells danger.

Bang, bang, bang. That was the sound of three quick tries that made it 31-6.

The first was a dazzler. Hunt made a nice break for the Highlanders but his pass found only several blades of grass.

The Blues swooped, Christie scampered 50m, Telea carried on, and the final ball went to Beauden Barrett to score.

Two minutes later, more craziness.

A seemingly innocuous kick from inside the Blues’ half would not sit up smoothly for chasing Highlanders midfielder Thomas Umaga-Jensen, and Caleb Clarke came motoring up from behind to dive on the ball at just the right moment.

Then what appeared to be the death knell – and it was all far too easy as Telea combined with Rieko Ioane to send the other over for a simple try.

The air had been sucked out of Forsyth Barr Stadium, and when Highlanders halfback Folau Fakatava crossed the line only for the try to be disallowed, heads were drooping.

Odd game, though, rugby. The rest of the half belonged to the resurgent Highlanders.

Hunt celebrated his comeback from injury with a try, and as the hooter sounded, the Highlanders had one last chance. Or several, as it turned out.

They had a 5m lineout and two 5m scrums without success. Then the Blues lost Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to a yellow card.

Finally, from another scrum, Shannon Frizell hit the line hard and popped the ball to Josh Timu for a try that made it 31-20 at the break.

If the Highlanders had scored first in the second half, perhaps a comeback was on the cards.

As it was, they could not manage a single point in the second half until the last second, when Argentinian winger Martin Bogado scored a long-range try on debut . . . and then it was ruled out for an earlier knock-on.

The Highlanders now head to Melbourne to play the Crusaders as part of the Super Round.

Super Rugby Pacific

The scores

Blues 60

Mark Telea 2, Rieko Ioane 2, Beauden Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Marcel Renata, Dalton Papali’i tries; Barrett 7 con, 2 pen

Highlanders 20

Mitch Hunt, Josh Timu tries; Sam Gilbert 2 con, 2 pen

Halftime: Blues 31-20.