Blues out-gun Force

Blues player Joe Rokocoko fends off Gavin DeBartolo. Picture / Dean Purcell

Luke McAlister returned to spark the Blues to a 39-8 defeat of the out-gunned Western Force in a lopsided Super 14 rugby match at Albany tonight.

First five-eighth McAlister scored a brilliant solo try and was the wizard behind a hat-trick to Rua Tipoki as the pair cut capers at their provincial home ground North Harbour Stadium.

The winless Force were overwhelmed up front and spent most of the night defending against a Blues side who scored six tries to one and produced perhaps their most cohesive performance of the season.

A second consecutive bonus point win lifts the Blues from 10th to a tie for fourth, although a full round of matches remained to be played this weekend.

The Force didn't budge from their place at the bottom of the standings after an inept performance, marred by yet another injury, early in the game to first five-eighth James Hilgendorf.

It robbed the visitors of any playmaking ability, something the Blues had in abundance.

McAlister made a sublime return to his favoured No 10 jersey after the Blues have largely employed Tasesa Lavea and Isa Nacewa there this year.

Taking advantage of his forwards' edge at lineout and ruck time, he regularly challenged the defensive line, using variety with his running and passing, mixed with some attacking kicks.

McAlister opened the scoring with a 10th-minute penalty but was at his best moments later with a dazzling solo try.

After receiving the ball from lineout, he sliced through a gap and swerved past fullback Cameron Shepherd, crashing over in his tackle.

Shepherd kicked a penalty in the 15th minute but from the resulting kickoff, Rokocoko's athleticism was displayed to the full. He soared to beat DeBartolo for the ball, twinkled past another defender before throwing diving pass to centre Ben Atiga to score in the corner.

The third try was another gem, as McAlister sent North Harbour teammate and second five-eighth Rua Tipoki over via a deft chip just 15m out from the tryline.

Tipoki had bagged his hat-trick 12 minutes into the second half, getting his second off another McAlister break and third when he jinked clean through a group of flat-footed Force defenders.

The remaining scoring came in the dying minutes.

Shepherd ran onto a neat chip for his side's only try but winger Nacewa had the final say, latching onto an accurate centre kick from man of the match McAlister.

The only worry for the Blues was the sight of flanker Troy Flavell leaving the field with 20min remaining holding his left shoulder.


"It got a little bit loose after we scored a few tries so we needed to pull it in."


The return to form of McAlister had been an enormous bonus, Mealamu admitted.


"Luke's been biding his time for a while, he really wanted to get in there. It's pleasing to see him there with the confidence he played with tonight."


Mealamu said his side hadn't given up on a place in the competition semifinals as they prepared for a three-week trip to South Africa.


"It's going to be tough in Africa, it always is. But we're on a confident roll at the moment, we just have to keep playing the rugby we are at the moment and anything's possible."


Blues doctor Peter Coleman told Newstalk ZB no diagnosis would be made on Flavell until scan tomorrow morning.


"Troy wrenched his shoulder, he's in a lot of pain but at the moment we'll have to check him out a bit more. He's done some damage to the front of the shoulder."


Blues 39 (Rua Tipoki 3, Luke McAlister, Ben Atiga, Isa Nacewa tries; McAlister pen, 3 con)
Western Force 8 (Cameron Shepherd try; pen).
Halftime: 20-3.


- NZPA