Super Rugby Pacific: Blues expect to be without key trio for clash against Force

Blues coach Vern Cotter is planning to be without three regular starters next week as the side counts the cost of their win over Moana Pasifika.

The Blues were a force in their 47-8 win in a rare away fixture at Eden Park, however injuries to Patrick Tuipulotu, Stephen Perofeta and Bryce Heem took some of the shine away from the result.

Heem and Tuipulotu left the game in the 54th and 59th minutes, respectively, due to head knocks and were unable to return to the game, while Perofeta left the park in the 62nd minute with a shoulder issue.

With the Blues facing a short turnaround for their match against the Force at Eden Park on Friday, Cotter wasn’t optimistic about the trio being available.

“If you’re talking of negatives from the game, it’s the injuries. Three gone,” Cotter said after the win.

“Those head knocks, they didn’t pass their protocols and we’ve got a six-day turnaround, so it looks like we’ll be digging deep into our stocks for the coming weekend.”

It’s a similar position to that which Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw looks set to face after star halfback Cam Roigard went down with a knee injury in the second half of their win over the Highlanders.

Roigard was set to undergo scans to understand the extent of the damage, which saw him taken off the field on a medicab. He was replaced by TJ Perenara, who impressed in the final 23 minutes of action.

Outside of the injuries, there was plenty of good for the Blues to take away from their win.

“There’s a margin in the score but it still wasn’t a perfect performance,” Cotter said.

“It took us a while to settle and I thought we probably pushed a couple of passes. There was good attitude in our carry and the linebreaks that followed. At the end of the game, I was really pleased with some of the link play that was done, just draw and pass – nice simple stuff.

“But they got into us at the breakdown and got a couple of turnovers. We had to work hard and sometimes were just too slow getting there. Things around our game will have to improve next week against the Force because they’re very active around the breakdown as well.”

Cotter did give a special mention to impressive No 8 Hoskins Sotutu, though, who had impact across the park and had to finish the match in the midfield as injuries limited the side’s available bodies.

“There’s not many players who could go from number eight to midfield and still not get breached,” Cotter said.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.