It was a scrappy & close match-up to watch tonight at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park with the Waratahs having the first points off the penalty goal conversion after a scoreless first half hour but it was the Blues who led the way with the one and only TRY not long ahead of half-time 3-7. Then nothing much changed at all where the Blues added another TRY and despite seeing the Waratahs dominate possession in the last 10-15 mins thanks to a late TRY, it still wasn’t enough to upsurp the Blues with less than 60 seconds left on the clock with the final scoreline, 10-12. Waratahs will now fly to Suva, Fiji ahead of their next game v the Fijian Drua next Saturday while the Blues will travel to Christchurch v the Crusaders later on the same day.
Caleb Clarke has been a very important player tonight on the Blues left wing where he never stopped running back and forth as being tested defensively while he worked his magic with the ball on hand such as making a few quick kicks as well as displaying excellent physicality every time he smashes through the Waratahs defense. It goes to show how valuable he is to the side in order to keep the Blues winning trajectory with the eye of lifting the championship having fired off really well so far this season apart from their defeat last week to the Hurricanes, although there’s still a long way to go especially when going up against a completely new Crusaders team next Saturday night who so far hasn’t won any games yet. Meanwhile, Ofa Tuʻungafasi had a great first half performance where he kept the Waratahs quiet while helping his side get off the mark on the front row at loosehead. He too is also incredibly physically strong in all areas such at scrum time, line-out time, attack when adding pressure to the opposition and also in defense to try & turn things over his way for his Blues team. Yes, things might not be the same later on when he had to come off the bench when the Waratahs dominated the last 10-15 mins alone but his contribution has been key to the Blues staying ahead above the Waratahs tonight. And how about a special shoutout to Jay Fonokalafi who scored a late TRY on his Super Rugby debut with 1-2 mins left off the Waratahs bench as the reserve hooker thanks to a winning penalty line-out. He is someone who plays for the Western Sydney Two Blues in Shute Shield and also has a day job in concreting which is an unreal story for him to get his chance to showcase himself at the highest level and sure there’s more to come from the 27-year-old. But for now, the team just couldn’t make the most of their attack for the majority with a mix of ill-discipline despite a late fightback where it’s been too little, too late to get over the line under pressure.
No.7 and No.8, Perese with Reilly Waratahs Jay reserve hooker