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At a glance

(Kendra Reynolds, Chey Robins-Reti 3 tries; Renee Holmes 3 con) (Katelyn Vahaakolo, Patricia Maliepo, Liana Mikaele-Tu’u tries; Krysten Cottrell con, 2 pen). 19-11.

Maliepo broke through two tackles to score and when Cottrell added the extras, the margin was back to one.

They should have got back in front immediately afterwards, when Ruahei Demant ran the ball 50m from her own in-goal and Cottrell then made a break down the left, opting to pass to her inside and a stumbling Ariana Bayler, rather than to her outside, where Kolose would have run clear.

What followed was an arm-wrestle, with neither side able to make a breakthrough, until Liana Mikaele-Tu’u crashed over shortly after a lineout drive with just over 10 minutes to play, putting the Blues ahead by four as Cottrell missed the kick under pressure from a pack of runners.

The Blues then found themselves defending their line for the first time since the opening stages of the half and they couldn’t keep Matatū out a second time, with Robins-Reti completing her hat-trick following a surging run by Amy du Plessis.

Holmes pushed her side’s lead out to three points – but did the Blues have anything left in the tank, with just under six minutes to play? Matatū stopped them as they tried to set up off another lineout drive and Lucy Jenkins then came up trumps with a turnover with a minute remaining.

At North Harbour Stadium, Auckland: Matatū 26

HT:

Blues 23

Sport

en-nz

2023-03-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282183655289931

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