BLUES U20s DIG DEEP IN 14 TRY THRILLER IN TAUPO

The Blues had to dig deep with a late try in a remarkable 48-45 victory over the Highlanders in the opening quarterfinal of the Super Rugby Under-20 competition in Taupo.

There was some outstanding attacking play from both sides, and in a game with 14 tries – seven tries apiece – it was the sole penalty by the Blues that proved the difference.

While the Blues managed some dominance upfront, the opposition hung-in and bounced back every time there was the hint that the Blues could pull clear.

A key moment came from Blues captain and prop Sika Pole, who secured the loose ball near his own 40m mark, pushed through a gap and then out-sprinted the Highlands’ defensive backs as he dotted down for the key try when the southerners hinted at taking control.

The Highlanders led for much of the second half, up 45-41 late in the game before the Blues powered over for the winning try.

Head coach Ben Afeaki said there were no significant injuries from the first match. He was pleased with the set piece and scrum and singled out the skipper Sika Pole for his courage, his leadership and his remarkable solo try.

“It reminded me of James Parsons scooting off and out-pacing the backs to score.”

“That was some game and defence was definitely not uppermost in their minds,” said head coach, Ben Afeaki.

“We did have a game plan where we wanted to play and we definitely did that and scored some outstanding tries. On the other side we certainly need to work on our defence.”

In other games, the Crusaders beat Moana Pasifika 29-22 while there were big wins for the Chiefs over the Barbarians 57-19 and Hurricanes beating Fiji Drua 65-10.

The Blues move to the semifinal on Tuesday against the Crusaders at 7.05pm. Live on Sky Sport.