Why the Blues need to ‘have some deep conversations’ before playoffs

The Blues may have beaten the Highlanders 16-9 at Eden Park on Friday night, but they’ll still need to “have some deep conversations” ahead of the playoffs according to their captain.

Skipper Dalton Papali’i returned from suspension for the final round of the regular season, and led the team out onto New Zealand’s home of rugby for a crunch clash with the Highlanders.

The equation was simple for both teams: the Blues could secure a home quarterfinal with a win over their New Zealand rivals, while the Highlanders were looking to clinch a playoffs berth.

Highlanders goalkicking ace Sam Gilbert recorded the first three points of the match with an early penalty goal, and added another successful attempt to the score shortly after.

But the Blues dominated possession, and were eventually rewarded for their relentless onslaught of attacking pressure.

Lock Patrick Tuipulotu, who captained the Blues in Papali’i’s absence, crossed for the first try of the night in the 29^th minute.

The Blues took a hard-fought 16-6 lead into the sheds at half-time – and continued to play with plenty of possession and confidence after the break.

But the Highlanders refused to throw in the towel.

For about 20 minutes, the hosts threw everything at the Highlanders, but couldn’t add to their score. In the end, another Sam Gilbert penalty was the only change to the score in the second term.

After the match, Papali’i said the Blues will “take some learnings out of that game” ahead of their home quarterfinal next week.

“The boys put in good work all week and I think we prepped well and man, those games, they’re tough ones,” Papali’i said post-game on Sky Sport.

“The good thing is that we got the win but we’ve gotta go into next week and have some deep conversations and really take some learnings out of that game because I think we left a bit of points out on the field there.

“But it’s a credit to the Landers as well, they’re a bloody good side and they held in.

“We’ve got take some learnings from that game and implement them into next week.”

The Blues finished the contest with 63 per cent possession, but that stat was up in the mid-70s at one point during the second half.

But the that stat that matters the most is the scoreboard, and it wasn’t as one-sided as the Blues would’ve liked.

After failing to convert a number of try-scoring opportunities in the red zone, the Highlanders nearly made them pay.

Freddie Burns and Sam Gilbert both came close to scoring in the final quarter of the match, which could’ve set up a grand stand finish – or potentially golden point.

“We let a few slip and I could’ve done some different calls out there with penalties but at the end of the day it’s good learnings going forward and just happy to get the dub,” Papali’i added.

“It’s always good playing playoff footy at home and especially with these fans here playing at the Garden of Eden, can’t get any better than that.”

Alongside returning skipper Dalton Papali’i, rising star Anton Segner was more than impressive in the No. 7 jersey for the Blues.

Coach Leon MacDonald praised the Germany-born talent after the match, saying he’d found a “home” in that jumper.

But, much like his captain, MacDonald wasn’t completely satisfied with the result – describing it as “frustrating.”

“We felt we were creating plenty but just not able to get over the line, or if we did get over the line we got called back a little bit,” MacDonald said post-game.

“I thought the first half, discipline let us down but otherwise we had good control of the game. I thought we were playing in the right areas and then put a lot of pressure on the Highlanders.

“We had that period where we went to the scrum and we went down that road and we committed to that and probably lost a bit of shape with the game.

“Frustrating not to put some more tries on the board.”

“We talk a lot about patients and just taking our time when we get close,” he added.

“I thought we were patient but we just weren’t quite good enough and we have to look at the technical side of it when we get in there and see what we could have done better.

“We need to have a look at that.”