The Brumbies’ hopes were dashed at Eden Park as they faced numerous setbacks, including the last-minute withdrawal of veteran prop James Slipper due to a calf injury and flanker Tom Hooper due to illness.
The Blues capitalised on these challenges, scoring early through AJ Lam and extending their lead to 24-6 within 20 minutes.
Despite a valiant effort from the Brumbies, with tries from Rob Valetini and Luke Reimer, costly errors and a strong Blues defense sealed their fate.
The Blues secured a 27-13 lead by halftime and maintained control, ultimately winning the match.
The Brumbies’ woes were compounded by a yellow card for Nick Frost, leaving them a man down for the final minutes. The Blues will now face the winner of the Hurricanes vs. Chiefs semi-final in the grand final.
Final score: 34-20.
Teams
- Blues: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 AJ Lam, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Harry Plummer, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papali’i (captain), 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Josh Beehre, 4 Sam Darry, 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Ofa Tu’ungafasi.
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Joshua Fusitu’a, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 James Thompson, 20 Adrian Choat, 21 Taufa Funaki, 22 Corey Evans, 23 Cole Forbes. - Brumbies: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Andy Muirhead, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Tamati Tua, 11 Corey Toole, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Ryan Lonergan, 8 Charlie Cale, 7 Rory Scott, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Darcy Swain, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (captain), 2 Billy Pollard, 1 Rhys van Nek.
Replacements: 16 Liam Bowron, 17 Harry Vella, 18 Sosefo Kautai, 19 Nick Frost, 20 Jahrome Brown, 21 Luke Reimer, 22 Harrison Goddard, 23 Ollie Sapsford.
