June 22, 2024 • 6 mins
The Blues are 2024 Super Rugby champions after a commanding 41-10 win over the Chiefs at Eden Park.
It's the second consecutive season the Chiefs have lost in the final, after dropping a much closer contest against the Crusaders at home last year.
ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith says the Blues have had to work hard and adapt to a new game plan - and it clearly paid off.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks edb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Ahlrighty, Blues fans, it has been a while.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Blues lot to regather. Theyck they cack it backwards, It's
gonna go over the line.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Cloth hates and loved to hear these words again. The
Blues I souper rugby champions for the first time and
twenty one years they demolish the Chiefs send to the
final forty one ten.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
And what a comprehensive win too. We were hoping to
have the Blues assistant coach Greg Feek with us on
the show. My first question to him was going to
be how did celebrations go last night?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Greg?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
And I'm going to answer that question for him since
he's a no show and say pretty good. They went
really well. But look, when you can't get Greg Fick,
you go to the next best thing, which is rugby commentator,
the man that called the game last night. News Talks
edb's Elliott Smith, good morning.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Good morning. Francis. Got a lot of surprised, but Greg
hasn't come to the focus to wanting just judging by
some of the celebrations that we saw a beginning last night.
It sounded like it was going to be a big
night and why not. You know, you don't win a
Super Rugby title for the every day and you certainly
Blues fans know that better than anyone else that it's
been twenty one long years since doing so.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
How were the team after the wed Elliott.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Oh, jubilant, absolutely, I mean as you'd expect them to be,
and all that hard work from the season paid off
for them obviously, and adapting to a new game plan.
There's been big for the Blues this year the way
that Vancoda wants them to play, and certainly not the
star that weve become accustomed to from the Blues and
(01:45):
their entire history. To be honest, they've always been the flamboyant,
the flea team in Super Rugby. You think they had
to Carlos and for A Pennie and Joe Rockafoka, but
other players through the years, they've had plenty of flea
at this time. It's just been built on four dominance
and a very sort of South African style as they
of rugby. But it's worked for the Blues, converted them
into Super Rugby champions, you know, They were very very
(02:07):
happy and Patrick Twey for lot To managed the match
after getting through fifty seven minutes on a knee injury
that he wasn't expected to be back for another few
weeks from He you know, was pretty emotional in the
media conference afterwards because he's been here right through the
tough times that the franchise has endured. You know, I
think back a few years ago the Laughing Sock of
Super Rugby. Though the worst New Zealand team by quite
(02:29):
some distance. They couldn't keep up with the Crusaders, the Chiefs,
the Hurricanes and even the Honders at that points in
their existence and had really fallen off the radar. But
they've rebuilt really well and that's the reward they got
last night.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Okay, a couple of things from what you just said there.
You know, we've always sort of thought about the Blues
being about the backs, but this year they have been
so much about the Fords, haven't.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
They They have, and it's been quite impressive to see,
you know, some of these players almost reinvent themselves, you know,
off the toong the fast he's played nine one hundred
and fifty Super Rugby games, but this would be his
best season. In my mind, he's become well, he's always
been a good scrummager, time he's really built into a weapon.
He scored six tries this season. Yes a lot of
(03:11):
them are close. He didn't have to do much but
fall over the line, or so he said to be
earlier on in the week. But that takes, you know,
a mindset shift in itself. Patrick tweep loot too has
always been a great leader around this team, but he
seems to have grown as a player this year. And
then the likes of Hoskins to Tuto and Aikiri yu
Won who had dumped out of All Blacks reckoning last year,
have changed their playing type as well. So it's been
(03:34):
built around that. And for so long, you know, the
question has been well the Blues or the back do
they have the forwards? And the forwards would disintegrate when
that question was asked. Well, this year it's been anything button.
It's been built on that platform that the Fords have
built and you know, offer tong and fast. As it
said said to me during the week, it's probably the
simplest game plan he's ever paid for the Blues, but
it's paid dividend.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Isn't it certainly has? How big is this for Aucklin rugby?
Could we be witnessing the start of a new dynasty
for the Blues? Oh?
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Quite possibly. You know, he've been cought out his first
season is in charges, has won the title. The probably
only going to lose minimal players for it for next season.
A kidder Yuani is one of them. There's a couple
of other players that are going to go to other
New Zealand franchises my understanding, and they'll get some other
players back in, you know. But they've got a good
nutilest of players and they're still relatively young. Is that
(04:24):
the remarkable thing. He's a lot of those players, you know,
Sam Dowry feels like he's been around for a few
years now, still in his early twenties. Patrick thy told too,
in his early thirties, but he's still got another few
good years of rugby. And in Hoskins two who's still
very very young as well, other players still sort of
in their mid twenties. So this could be possibly the
start of something really special for the Blues. But the key,
(04:45):
you know, we still the Crusaders have a very long
dynasty is not being satisfied with one and then breaking
that drought, but doing it year after year after year.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Very exciting. Now, of course, Super Rugby we go tech
now because tomorrow we're going to have the All Black
squad named about five thirty PM. I do believe, are you?
I am presuming that the All Black selectors would have
found their squad before last night. Could performances last night
have made any difference?
Speaker 3 (05:11):
I think so. Look, I think there would have been
perhaps some brackets and that squad that they might have
looked at. I know large that was probably locked in,
But I think back to last year when suddenly enough
the Blues got disintegrated by the Crusaders in the semi final,
and some players there, Hoskins and Sutu and the kid
you only basically played themselves out of All Blacks jerseys
or All Blacks of Beans jerseys. So I think there'll
(05:34):
be some players last night that may have consolidated their
space place if there was a question mark over it.
I think there'll be normal question marks on the basis
of what the Blues were able to do last night.
And the tough thing for the chief is that some
of those players that maybe were on the cusp of selection.
Possibly I don't want to say play their way out
of selection, but they just didn't get a chance to
(05:54):
play the aa in last night. The Blues were so
dominant that the Chiefs just didn't get a look in
the game, and therefore some of those players just couldn't
put their best footboard in terms of well both the
game but also All Black selection and so and maybe
it the Blues. If you're tossing up between one of
the two players, Blues or Chief players, the Blues might
get the check on the basis of what we saw
last night when it comes to the Super Rugby. Sorry
(06:15):
the all Black selections, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
So much, Elliott Smith.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talk ZB from nine am Sunday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks edb.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Ahlrighty, Blues fans, it has been a while.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Blues lot to regather. Theyck they cack it backwards, It's
gonna go over the line.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Cloth hates and loved to hear these words again. The
Blues I souper rugby champions for the first time and
twenty one years they demolish the Chiefs send to the
final forty one ten.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
And what a comprehensive win too. We were hoping to
have the Blues assistant coach Greg Feek with us on
the show. My first question to him was going to
be how did celebrations go last night?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Greg?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
And I'm going to answer that question for him since
he's a no show and say pretty good. They went
really well. But look, when you can't get Greg Fick,
you go to the next best thing, which is rugby commentator,
the man that called the game last night. News Talks
edb's Elliott Smith, good morning.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Good morning. Francis. Got a lot of surprised, but Greg
hasn't come to the focus to wanting just judging by
some of the celebrations that we saw a beginning last night.
It sounded like it was going to be a big
night and why not. You know, you don't win a
Super Rugby title for the every day and you certainly
Blues fans know that better than anyone else that it's
been twenty one long years since doing so.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
How were the team after the wed Elliott.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Oh, jubilant, absolutely, I mean as you'd expect them to be,
and all that hard work from the season paid off
for them obviously, and adapting to a new game plan.
There's been big for the Blues this year the way
that Vancoda wants them to play, and certainly not the
star that weve become accustomed to from the Blues and
(01:45):
their entire history. To be honest, they've always been the flamboyant,
the flea team in Super Rugby. You think they had
to Carlos and for A Pennie and Joe Rockafoka, but
other players through the years, they've had plenty of flea
at this time. It's just been built on four dominance
and a very sort of South African style as they
of rugby. But it's worked for the Blues, converted them
into Super Rugby champions, you know, They were very very
(02:07):
happy and Patrick Twey for lot To managed the match
after getting through fifty seven minutes on a knee injury
that he wasn't expected to be back for another few
weeks from He you know, was pretty emotional in the
media conference afterwards because he's been here right through the
tough times that the franchise has endured. You know, I
think back a few years ago the Laughing Sock of
Super Rugby. Though the worst New Zealand team by quite
(02:29):
some distance. They couldn't keep up with the Crusaders, the Chiefs,
the Hurricanes and even the Honders at that points in
their existence and had really fallen off the radar. But
they've rebuilt really well and that's the reward they got
last night.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Okay, a couple of things from what you just said there.
You know, we've always sort of thought about the Blues
being about the backs, but this year they have been
so much about the Fords, haven't.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
They They have, and it's been quite impressive to see,
you know, some of these players almost reinvent themselves, you know,
off the toong the fast he's played nine one hundred
and fifty Super Rugby games, but this would be his
best season. In my mind, he's become well, he's always
been a good scrummager, time he's really built into a weapon.
He scored six tries this season. Yes a lot of
(03:11):
them are close. He didn't have to do much but
fall over the line, or so he said to be
earlier on in the week. But that takes, you know,
a mindset shift in itself. Patrick tweep loot too has
always been a great leader around this team, but he
seems to have grown as a player this year. And
then the likes of Hoskins to Tuto and Aikiri yu
Won who had dumped out of All Blacks reckoning last year,
have changed their playing type as well. So it's been
(03:34):
built around that. And for so long, you know, the
question has been well the Blues or the back do
they have the forwards? And the forwards would disintegrate when
that question was asked. Well, this year it's been anything button.
It's been built on that platform that the Fords have
built and you know, offer tong and fast. As it
said said to me during the week, it's probably the
simplest game plan he's ever paid for the Blues, but
it's paid dividend.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Isn't it certainly has? How big is this for Aucklin rugby?
Could we be witnessing the start of a new dynasty
for the Blues? Oh?
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Quite possibly. You know, he've been cought out his first
season is in charges, has won the title. The probably
only going to lose minimal players for it for next season.
A kidder Yuani is one of them. There's a couple
of other players that are going to go to other
New Zealand franchises my understanding, and they'll get some other
players back in, you know. But they've got a good
nutilest of players and they're still relatively young. Is that
(04:24):
the remarkable thing. He's a lot of those players, you know,
Sam Dowry feels like he's been around for a few
years now, still in his early twenties. Patrick thy told too,
in his early thirties, but he's still got another few
good years of rugby. And in Hoskins two who's still
very very young as well, other players still sort of
in their mid twenties. So this could be possibly the
start of something really special for the Blues. But the key,
(04:45):
you know, we still the Crusaders have a very long
dynasty is not being satisfied with one and then breaking
that drought, but doing it year after year after year.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Very exciting. Now, of course, Super Rugby we go tech
now because tomorrow we're going to have the All Black
squad named about five thirty PM. I do believe, are you?
I am presuming that the All Black selectors would have
found their squad before last night. Could performances last night
have made any difference?
Speaker 3 (05:11):
I think so. Look, I think there would have been
perhaps some brackets and that squad that they might have
looked at. I know large that was probably locked in,
But I think back to last year when suddenly enough
the Blues got disintegrated by the Crusaders in the semi final,
and some players there, Hoskins and Sutu and the kid
you only basically played themselves out of All Blacks jerseys
or All Blacks of Beans jerseys. So I think there'll
(05:34):
be some players last night that may have consolidated their
space place if there was a question mark over it.
I think there'll be normal question marks on the basis
of what the Blues were able to do last night.
And the tough thing for the chief is that some
of those players that maybe were on the cusp of selection.
Possibly I don't want to say play their way out
of selection, but they just didn't get a chance to
(05:54):
play the aa in last night. The Blues were so
dominant that the Chiefs just didn't get a look in
the game, and therefore some of those players just couldn't
put their best footboard in terms of well both the
game but also All Black selection and so and maybe
it the Blues. If you're tossing up between one of
the two players, Blues or Chief players, the Blues might
get the check on the basis of what we saw
last night when it comes to the Super Rugby. Sorry
(06:15):
the all Black selections, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
So much, Elliott Smith.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talk ZB from nine am Sunday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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