#rugby #worldrugby #pumas 🏆 Ladies and gentlemen, The Blues broke a 21-year title-less drought with a resounding victory over the Chiefs at Eden Park, and were crowned the new Super Rugby Pacific champions.
Inspired by the courage and determination of their magnificent captain, and rigorously following the game plan of their influential old-school coach, the Blues finally erased 21 years of Super Rugby heartbreak to lift the long-awaited championship on a Saturday night under a lot of water and a lot of partying, in their Garden of Eden.
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And, to top it all off, a hat-trick from All Blacks wing Caleb Clarke - who will surely be retained in Scott Robertson's national team, to be announced on Monday - put the icing on the cake for the Blues in front of a crowd of 4,435 who watched in delight as their team dominated this Super Rugby Pacific final from start to finish.
The Blues, came into the final with the proverbial burden on their shoulders, having not lifted the Super Rugby trophy since their last of three victories in 2003.
But they had been knocking on the door in recent seasons: beaten finalists in '22 after a run of 15 consecutive wins, and eliminated in the semifinals last year, with hopes also high.
However, the addition of 'Stern' Vern Cotter , as coach this year, was clearly a masterstroke, as Leon MacDonald, who left for the All Blacks, failed to conquer the supreme achievement.
Cotter , in his third decade as coach, gruff and gregarious at the same time, knew exactly what he wanted.
He focused the team on dominating with the forwards, forming a game plan that relied on physical strength and ruthlessness, wearing down the opposition and pressuring them in the set pieces.
The Blues knew exactly who they were all season, and played beautifully to their identity in this final, steamrolling the visiting Chiefs on the soggy Eden Park turf with a five tries to one demolition that defied the adverse conditions.
OMIT
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