Rugby: Lucky 13 sparks stunning Blues revival

Rene Ranger is held by a trio of Brumbies last night. Photo / Steven McNicholl

He was not the Lone Ranger but centurion captain Keven Mealamu and his Blues should have cracked open a special vintage to salute their centre last night.

When Mealamu led his side on to Eden Park last night he signalled a pre-match sign to his Maker and today, on his 31st birthday, he should also toast the man in the No 13 jersey.

Rene Ranger was an absolute menace to the Brumbies, his brutal power at centre creating plenty of damage from set phases while in broken play he was even more of a threat.

His try at the dawn of the second half set the tone for the Blues in a pulsating game after they had been shaded in the opening spell.

It mirrored Ranger's try against the Reds earlier in the competition when he beat a clutch of defenders and this time, he bounced up out of an ineffective tackle, spun, twisted and barged through more tackles to score.

It showcased Ranger's special talents, his ability to create something from very little, for himself or his teammates. His try detonated the Blues revival.

Blues' coach Pat Lam said Ranger had the x-factor. "He has been a real project because he is a free spirit in the way he plays.

"We made it hard for oursleves by gifting a lot of points which was frustrating. The character and attitude, we need to keep replicating that every week to ensure we get the game we want to play."

In the 15 minutes after the break the Blues blasted in for four tries with a mix of deft handling to find the flanks, a Brett crossfield kick which drew the same reward for Joe Rokocoko before Isaia Toeava's acceleration cut the Brumbies up the middle.

From a six point deficit, the Blues were suddenly two converted tries to the good.

But the Brumbies are a classy side with the heart of a Clydesdale horse not their franchise's moniker.

Replacement hooker Huia Edmonds spun his way across the line and with Giteau goalkicking with great surety, the visitors were pressing with 15 minutes left.

They closed within two points when replacement Patrick Phibbs scored a converted try and for four minutes the Blues' hearts beat louder than any bass drum.

They survived in a match of high drama, high energy and high class.

The Blues refused to play percentage rugby, they kept attacking and claimed a thrilling victory to begin their home stretch of matches. It was a cracking game.

The first half mirrored the pace, movement and ambition shown by the Chiefs and Crusaders last week before rain stifled those ambitions.

Those same weather gods threatened at Eden Park last night but apart from an odd squiff, they behaved.

That let the teams show their classy range of skills, mixing the bludgeoning work at the mauls, breakdowns and set piece work with some expansive imagination in the backline.

The Blues and Brumbies shared the tries at a modest one each in the opening spell which spoke more about their high levels of tackling efficiency rather than any attacking defects.

Both turned down penalty kicks at goal in favour of lineout moves near their opponents' line. The ploy worked.

Tighthead Salesi Ma'afu bludgeoned over for the visitors while the Blues having been denied a similar route, spun the ball quickly to Ranger in midfield who flattened Christian Lealifano and offloaded to steer Rokocoko across the stripe.

* Blues 39 (J Rokocoko 2, R Ranger, B Stanley, I Toeava, tries; S Brett 4 con, pen, dropped goal)

* Brumbies 27 (S Ma'afu, H Edmonds, P Phibbs, tries; M Giteau 2 con, 5 pen).HT: 10-16

Eye on ice

These days Isaia Toeava sports a pirate look with his goatee beard. The Blues' fullback was shut out of early action, using a kick or two to relieve pressure and marshalling the defences in his changed role. But that changed as the Blues picked up some possession and Toeava showed a range of skills which make him such a danger in any back-line role. He was a decoy, a runner, a provider and a general as his impact, and the Blues' confidence, grew.