‘Tough one to swallow’: Savea laments loss to Blues as winning run ends for Moana Pasifika

Thousands of fans turned up to watch the much-anticipated Battle of the Bridges, part of the Auckland Blues’ Pacific Week, and the defending champions did not disappoint.

The Blues scored six tries to Moana Pasifika’s three, showcasing a dominant performance that resulted in a 36-17 win at Eden Park on Saturday.

Moana captain Ardie Savea says they knew it would be a tough game, particularly against the Blues, amid the week's excitement, given they were seeking a historic third-straight victory.

“We knew it was going to be a physical battle. We just had to turn up and individually nail our job. We didn't do that for most parts of the game. The Blues were physically dominating tonight.

“They just played in the right areas of the field. They starved us off the ball in the first half, and we couldn't get into our game. It's a tough one to swallow, but we've got to regroup and go again next week.

“I know it's Pacific Week for the Blues, and we are a Pacific team, so it's awesome to celebrate the Pacific. And it's awesome to see the fans turn up for both teams.”

In the end, the Blues won emphatically, a significant victory that kept the fire burning. The Blues had to come from a long way back in defending their title, but two wins back-to-back have certainly kept their hopes alive.

Captain Dalton Papali’i says it was a tough physical battle, adding they had to bring that physicality and intensity against Moana.

“We knew we had to. Moana’s been doing bloody awesome this season, so we knew that coming into this week, our bodies are going to be pretty banged up because they're a physical team," the 27-year-old flanker told SkySportNZ after the game.

Watch the highlights of the Moana Pasifika-Auckland Blues match below.

“Once they smell blood, they attack, so we just had to have a good week and earn it, and we got the performance we wanted. A few things to work on, but it's credit to the Moana boys, a lot of them are our brothers, and yeah, it was just a good game.

“We got a bit too fancy at the start of the season. We tried to roll in from last year and try to do too much, but we know you don't need to reinvent the wheel. We had a good bye week. We brought it back to doing the basics well, and we did it out there, which is our set piece, and then once we get that going, we're sorted.”

Papali’i is in good form, the Blues’ top tackler in recent games. He also shared some good news with the fans after the match: He will be a dad, believing it is his biggest motivator.

“I think it is. Shout out to my Mrs. for pulling my head in, but it’s credit to the brothers. They bring the best out of us, and we had a tough first couple of games, but we’re pulling together now.

“It’s the emotion. You can see it in the first couple of games. We’re overthinking, but since we had that bye week and coming into these first two games [Hurricanes and Moana], we stripped it back, and we thought if there’s a moment, if we miss, flush it, next job, and I think we’re getting better at that.”

Auckland Blues captain Dalton Papali'i makes a break against Moana Pasifika defence. Photo/photosport

It was a very classy performance by the Blues. They took the emotion out of it early, knowing Moana Pasifika was coming across the bridge with momentum and confidence. Savea’s men had won against the Waratahs and Crusaders heading to Eden Park.

But the Blues stuck to their guns and game plan and were outstanding in securing back-to-back victories and preventing Savea and his side from clinching their third consecutive win this season.

The Blues had plenty to celebrate as centre AJ Lam celebrated his 50th cap for the club. His family joined the 26-year-old on the pitch after the game.

With the win, the Blues move up one position to ninth place ahead of Moana and the Fijian Drua. The Blues have been searching for consistency this season, and now that they’ve found it, the question remains: Can they maintain it? We will find out when they head to Christchurch next week to take on the Crusaders.

Moana will host the ACT Brumbies from Canberra next week. The Brumbies defeated the Queensland Reds later on Saturday, 39-26.

Savea says they must win the collisions to get back on track. “We're so used to winning them; when we're not, we go starstruck. As leaders, we've got to look upon that and grow and come up with plan B. So, we'll both take this on board and regroup on Monday.

“It's a blessing for me to be able to try and lead the boys. There's no other place I'd rather be. God’s placed me in this position for me to bring people to his kingdom, and by doing that, it's playing good rugby.”

Fijian flair fails to flourish in Otago

It’s back to the drawing board for the Fijian Drua despite a late surge and a yellow card against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday.

The Drua lost 43-20 and will need to reassess their strategies after a tough match against the South Islanders, who started strong, scoring three unanswered tries in the first half to lead 17-3.

The hosts started and finished the game emphatically but had to survive a fierce comeback from the Fijians to claim maximum points. The Drua have yet to win a match on the road.

Watch highlights of the Fijian Drua and Otago Highlanders game below.

Mesulame Dolokoto, the Drua captain and hooker, says it was a tough game. He adds that it wasn’t the ideal start, starting slow and allowing the Highlanders to get on the scoreboard early in the first half.

“Always tough in Dunedin, but the boys gave it their all,” he told SkySportNZ after the fame. “That's all I could ask from the team. We fell short today, but we'll keep on coming till we get that evasive away win.

“That's one thing we've been working on these past few weeks. Unfortunately, it hasn't been working for us. We'll keep on trying. We'll keep on going.

“Monday, we'll turn up. We'll try to fix those errors, especially at the start. We'll try and rectify those mistakes. We've got to earn it. We've got to go through the middle first. Sometimes we try and go out too wide and then we haven't earned it,” Dolokoto says.

But the Highlanders wing Taniela Filimone, on debut, stole the show. The 25-year-old had a dream start. The Tongan international scored twice, including in one of his first touches in Super Rugby when Jona Nareki burst through the line within two minutes of kickoff.

Highlanders wing Taniela Filimone scores his second try against the Fijian Drua. Photo/Joe Allison

The win sees the Highlanders maintain pace with the top six teams on the ladder, sitting two points behind the Brumbies in seventh place. The Fijians remain at the bottom of the table.

The Blues Women have gone back-to-back as Super Rugby Aupiki champions, defeating a strong Matatū side from the South Island and clinging to a 26-19 win at Eden Park on Saturday.

Looking ahead, the Drua will return prepared to host the Waratahs at Lautoka’s Churchill Park next Saturday, while the Highlanders will travel to Waikato to face the Chiefs. The Chiefs were stunned by the Waratahs 21-14. In the other game of round 10, the Western Force take on the Hurricanes at home in Perth.