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Blues 20 Waratahs 17
Blues - Suafoa & Romano tries, McKenzie penalty, Sullivan 2 conversions & drop goal
Waratahs - Nawaqanitawase 2 tries, Edmed 2 conversions & penalty
Fulltime
40th minute - Fulltime siren has sounded, as the BLues enter the Waratahs 22, searching for a winning penalty or try.
The forwards keep the ball in hand and then release to Sullivan, who drops the goal to win... incredible!
39th minute - Edmed slots the penalty and the scores are tied, 17-17
38th minute - Big scrum from the Waratahs wins a penalty in midfield and Edmed will have a chance to tie the game up with a kick at goal.
37th minute - Waratahs win the kickoff and pour towards the Blues 22, but Ryan throws a forward pass in midfield and the Blues have a scrum feed.
35th minute - TRY to Romano
BLues forward pick and go towards the posts. After 16 phases, Romano rumbles over to score and put his team ahead.
Sullivan slots the conversion, BLU 17-14
34th minute - Suafoa wins the lineout and the Blues search for a way to the tryline.
33rd minute - Sullivan kicks to the corner, but Suafoa can't claims the lineout throw. Gordon clears for the Waratahs and Blues will have another lineout inside the 22.
31st minute - Sullivan kicks to the corner and Plumtree wins the lineout, Blues maul forward. They have penalty advantage near the tryline and try to spread the ball left, but the move breaks down and Williams comes back for the penalty by the posts.
30th minute - Suafoa wins a lineout inside Waratahs half and BLues maul forward. Hooper concedes penalty advantage, but Blues play on...
29th minute - Blues win a penalty at the scrum and a chance to clear their territory.
28th minute - Holloway wins another lineout, but the Waratahs throw is not straight.
26th minute - TRY to Suafoa
Sullivan kicks to the corner and the Blues win the lineout at the back. They have a penalty advantage, but don't need it, as Suafoa gathers the ball at the back of a ruck and plunges over.
Sullivan converts, WAR 14-10
25th minute - Suafoa surges forward and Blues have a penalty advantage. Williams calls them back.
24th minute - Tua surges into the Waratahs 22, but Renata has the ball stripped. Hooper is smashed in a tackle again and Blues regain the ball in the 22.
23rd minute - As the ball shifts left, Newsome loses the ball and Ioane snaps it up. Blues are playing advantage and are brought back. Sullivan finds touch near the Waratahs 22.
22nd minute - Holloway wins another lineout and the Waratahs try to maul forward, but have to release the ball.
21st minute - Waratahs win the lineout and maul towards the line, but the Blues again steal the ball and clear.
20th minute - Kneepkens slides to keep the ball in play, but slides into touch and Waratahs have a lineout metres out.
19th minute - Sullivan's kickoff finds touch on the full, so Waratahs have the ball on halfway. That feels like the Warriors...
16th minute - TRY to Nawaqanitawase
From the scrum, Gordon breaks up midfield and the Waratahs rumble towards the goal-line. When the ball shifts right, Hoopers puts Nawaqanitawase over in the corner for his second.
Edmed slots the sideline conversion, WAR 14-3
15th minute - Waratahs have an attacking scrum on the Blues 10.
14th minute - After a series of kicks, Sullivan makes the error, finding touch on the full to give Waratahs field position. Suafoa and Ah Wong come on for the BLues.
13th minute - Holloway soars to claim the kickoff and Gordon clears near halfway. Ioane can't claim the lineout throw and the Waratahs have the ball...
10th minute - TRY to Nawaqanitawase
Holloway wins another lineout and the Blues hold up the maul, but the ball shifts right, where Pietch throws a long pass to winger Nawaqanitawase to score out wide. Edmed converts, WAR 7-3
Ninth minute - Waratahs find some space down the left and win a penalty.
Eighth minute - Holloway wins the lineout and the Waratahs surge over halfway.
Seventh minute - Blues surge into the 22, but Hannigan is over the breakdown and wins a clearing penalty. Tu'inukuafe is on for Lay.
Sixth minute - Lay is struggling to find his feet and is helped off the field.
Riccitelli finds Plumtree with his lineout throw and Blues maul forward. Nocks pumps a high kick into Waratahs territory and Blues win the ball back.
Fifth minute - Waratahs surge towards the goal-line, but Hooper is drilled in a two-man tackle and Blues win a clearing penalty at the breakdown.
Fourth minute - Donaldson kicks to the corner, Holloway wins the lineout, but the BLues hold the maul up.
Third minute - From the scrum, Gordon runs left and Newsome makes grounds towards the Blues 22. Waratahs have penalty advantage for offside and referee Paul Williams brings them back for the penalty.
Second minute - Nock bobbles the ball in midfield, but iit's recovered by Lam. He's dirven forward in a maul, but the BLues can't clear it and Waratahs win the turnover.
First minute - Sullivan kicks off the Blues and Holloway rises high to collect the kick inside his 22. Gordon finds touch near halfway.
Riccitelli's long throw to the lineout lands with Kneepkens and Blues build an attack.
Halftime
40th minute - McKenzie clears his 22, as Choat and then Ioane rejoin the game.
The halftime siren sounds and McKenzie finds touch to end the half.
39th minute - Newsome charges into the 22, but the Blues steal the ball at the breakdown.
38th minute - From the kickoff, McKenzie has his clearance partially charged down by Hooper, giving the BLues a throw to the lineout, but Waratah steal the throw.
36th minute - Blues win a scrum penalty on the Waratahs 10 and McKenzie will take another shot at goal. He curls this one between the posts, BLU 3-0
35th minute - Goodhue wins a lineout and the Blues put up a big kick - Donaldson wears a Sullivan tackle as he hits the ground and knocks on.
34th minute - From another scrum, Sullivan kicks deep and a kicking duel ensues.
33rd minute - Blues win a scrum free-kick...
32nd minute - Waratahs move right, looking for the gaps in the defence, with the BLues down to 13, but they spill the ball and miss the opportunity.
31st minute - Goodhue wins the lineout just outside the Blues 22, but Waratahs steal the ball.
30th minute - Shorthanded Blues scrum holds and win a scrum penalty to clear. Great effort from the forwards.
29th minute - Holloway wins the lineout and the Blues sack the maul, but Ioane is also yellow-carded for a high tackle, so the Blues are down to 13 now. Waratahs must score here and they take a scrum.
28th minute - Waratahs win the lineout and maul towards the line. The ball comes to Edmed and there's a double whistle...
Replays show Choat taking Gordon high in a tackle, although the NSW halfback is falling into the tackle. Choat has a yellow card and Donaldson kicks to the corner again.
27th minute - Romano is warned for persistent infringing and Donaldson kicks to the corner again.
26th minute - Hannigan wins the lineout and Waratahs try to maul, but are again held up. MOre advantage being played for Waratahs...
25th minute - Waratahs have another penalty and kick to the corner again.
24th minute - Holloway wins the lineout and Waratahs try to maul, but aren't moving. They free the ball, but the Blues defence holds.
23rd minute - Waratahs enter Blues territory, but the defence is strong. Waratahs win a penalty in midfield and kick to the corner.
20th minute - Blues win a penalty from the scrum and seem to have an upper hand there. The kick does not find touch and Waratahs break out of their 22.
19th minute - Waratahs win a lineout in Blues half and roll towards the 22, but there's a knock-on in there and Blues will feed a scrum.
18th minute - From the scrum, Edmed kicks deep. Sullivan tries a clever kick for his wing, but overcooks it into touch.
17th minute - Match officials are reviewing a high hit on Riccitelli by Hooper, but it looks like shoulder on shoulder.
Blues attack breaks down, when Lauala can't take a sloppy tackle and knocks on.
16th minute - Romano enters the 22, but Waratahs steal the ball and Donaldson clears .
15th minute - Edmed kicks long from the dropout and a kicking exchange ensees. Sullivan brings the ball over halfway and the Blues build outside the 22.
13th minute - Hooper can't quite get his hand to a loose pass and Blues eventually come back for the penalty on the Waratahs 10. McKenzie lines up a kick at goal, but hooks it right.
12th minute - Anton Segner is down, after twisting an ankle in the previous lineout. He's being helped off and Akira Ioane has an early boarding pass.
Blues get a penalty advantage at the scrum.
11th minute - Waratahs try to mount an attack, but McKenzie pounces on a loose ball and takes the Blues into Waratahs territory.
10th minute - McKenzie puts a high kick into Waratahs territory, but Edmed rolls one back towards the Blues goal-line. McKenzie's clearances comes of the side of his foot.
Ninth minute - Eventually Edmed finds touch just beyond halfway. Holloway steals the Blues throw and Waratahs go on attack, but Hannigan's pass to Pietch goes into touch.
Eighth minute - Good scrum from the Blues and Sullivan kicks long to the Waratahs 22.
Seventh minute - Blues win the lineout and Nock has his kick charged down by his quickly advancing opposite, but Gamble is called for a knock-on.
Sixth minute - Waratahs win a lineout on the Blues 22 and roar towards the tryline, but the Blues win a penalty at the breakdown.
Fifth minute - Blues barely win their own lineout, but concede a clearing penalty at the breakdown.
Fourth minute - From the scrum, Donaldson finds touch on the Waratahs 10.
Third minute - Long throw to the Blues lineout is gathered by Lam, who finds Nock inside him. Clver move, but the attack breaks down with a knock-on by McKenzie.
Second minute - Waratahs win the lineout and stream into Blues half. They send the ball right, but are penalised at the breakdown, so Blues can clear.
First minute - Edmed kicks off for Waratahs and Kneepkens takes the ball. Nock clears.
*****
Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Super Rugby Pacific clash between the Blues and NSW Waratahs at Sydney's Leichhardt Oval.
The Blues have already sealed home advantage through the playoffs, so coach Leon MacDonald has rested his frontline players for next week's quarter-finals, leaving the prospect of a franchise-record 13 straight wins in the hands of largely untried performers, captained by veteran lock Luke Romano.
Meanwhile, the Waratahs can still climb the competition ladder, although their chances of a home playoff have disappeared with the Chiefs' victory at Lautoka this afternoon. They will field a first-string line-up tonight on their home turf, hoping to leap the Hurricanes into fifth and an all-Australian quarter-final against ACT Brumbies.
Blues: 1-Jordan Lay, 2-Ricky Riccitelli, 3-Nepo Laulala, 4-Luke Romano (c), 5-Josh Goodhue, 6-Anton Segner, 7-Adrian Choat, 8-Taine Plumtree, 9-Sam Nock, 10-Jock McKenzie, 11-AJ Lam, 12-Corey Evans, 13-Tamati Tua, 14-Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 15-Zarn Sullivan
Reserves: 16-Soane Vikena, 17-Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18-Marcel Renata, 19-Sam Darry, 20-Cameron Suafoa, 21-Akira Ioane, 22-Taufa Funaki, 23-Nigel Ah-Wong
Waratahs: 1-Angus Bell, 2-Dave Porecki, 3-Archer Holz, 4-Jed Holloway, 5-Ned Hanigan, 6-Charlie Gamble, 7-Michael Hooper, 8-Will Harris, 9-Jake Gordon, 10-Tane Edmed, 11-Dylan Pietsch, 12-Lalakai Foketi, 14-Mark Nawaqanitawase, 15-Ben Donaldson
Replacements: 16-Mahe Vailanu, 17-Tetera Faulkner, 18-Paddy Ryan, 19-Hugh Sinclair, 20-Jeremy Williams, 21-Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco, 22-Jack Grant, 23-Jamie Roberts
Blues not hiding from all-Kiwi playoff route to Super Rugby Pacific crown
With playoffs looming, the Blues aren't shirking from the fact they may have to overcome Kiwi opposition, if they're to take out Super Rugby Pacific.
After last week's victory over ACT Brumbies at Canberra, the Aucklanders will finish the round robin stage as the competition leaders, securing home advantage for as long as they're alive in the postseason.
Finishing first sets them up to play the eighth-placed finishers in the competition, currently the Highlanders, in what could be the first of several Kiwi playoff derbies.
Should the Blues advance to the semi-finals, they would face the lowest-qualified quarter-final winner. If results were to go with the higher seeded teams, they would host the Chiefs for a spot in the final.
With the Crusaders sitting second on the ladder, the reigning Super Rugby Aotearoa champions loom as the Blues' final opponents, giving Leon MacDonald's side a playoff run exclusively against New Zealand opposition.
But MacDonald insists they have beaten every Kiwi side - except the Hurricanes - in 2022 and don't fear the prospect of up to three more games against their compatriots.
"We've had a lot of experience playing New Zealand teams week after week over the last few years with COVID, [Super Rugby] Aotearoa, etc, so we're used to it.
"It's the same for them. This time of year, a lot of it's mental, winning that mental battle with yourself really, telling yourself you're not that sore and you're ready to go again.
"It's been a long, tough season for a lot of players and teams. This is when you've really got to show a lot of mental resolve and steel as well."
For now, McDonald insists his team are solely concentrating on their final game of the round robin, travelling to Sydney to face NSW Waratahs, who can still secure a home quarter-final, if results go their way.
In reality, with home advantage secure, the Blues have shuffled their deck to face the Waratahs, with second-string halfback Sam Nock the most experienced member of his starting side, with 48 Super Rugby caps.
MacDonald insists that Saturday's fixture will hopefully see his side enter the playoffs with both momentum from one final victory and a set of fresh frontline players, rested from the regular season finale.
"Quarter-finals, I suppose, are the toughest to play," he added. "Quarters and semis, they're horrible games.
"You know everything you've done throughout the year counts for nothing once you run out onto the grass. It's really important we don't get ahead of ourselves - this week's just about this week.
"That's the main thing for us, we want to put in a good performance, so we have good momentum and confidence going into the playoffs, and set ourselves up really nicely for the playoffs."
Should the Blues win at Sydney, they would set a new franchise record of 13 consecutive victories, beating the 1997 championship-winning side.
