Stand Out Players - Highlanders v Blues
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Forsyth Barr Stadium dished up a thriller as the Blues ran in 5 tries, their first win at the stadium, won the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy and were able to keep the pressure on the Crusaders. The Highlanders did not go down without a fight but they ran in to one of the best performances by the Blues this season. Controversial moments by Aaron Smith prevented two Blues tries but a huge team effort by the visitors sends them home with a bonus point win.
Caleb Clarke - Blues:
The form wingers in New Zealand rugby at the moment and he put in a dominant performance shower speed agility and power. 66 running meters, 3 defenders beaten and a try assist where just a few of his numerous contributions .
Defence ➡️attack. #HIGvBLU #SuperRugbyAotearoa
— RUGBYcomau (@rugbycomau) August 2, 2020
MORE: https://t.co/lqTiplg5HK pic.twitter.com/OMOWgWMGeg
Tight Five - Blues:
The Blues put in a near perfect performance at scrum time and won 5 from 7 of their own line out's but the tight five really stood out in this performance. Tu'inukuafe, Eklund and Tu'ungafasi were dominant around the park
The Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy is heading back to Auckland!#HIGvBLU pic.twitter.com/Z8Yi4IF9Ma
— Super Rugby (@SuperRugbyNZ) August 2, 2020
Shannon Frizell - Highlanders:
Hardly a week goes by without Frizell putting in a top performance and against the Blues it was no different. 80 minutes, 10 tackles, 7 carries and a try.
Dalton Papli'i - Blues:
As with Frizell, Dalton Papali'i, seldom misses out on a Top Performers list or the Team of the Week and he was in fine form under the Forsyth Barr Roof. A mammoth 75m carried which in the last 10 years for the Blues has only been beaten by two other Blindside Flanks, Akira Ioane and Jerome Kaino. He had a tried controversially called back and was ever present.
Beauden Barrett - Blues:
Slightly wayward off the tee but his general play and attacking accuracy was clear for all to see as he guided his dominating pack and put his backs in space. A brilliant kick pass to Caleb Clarke and a long skip pass to Tony Lamborn both resulted in tries.
Finlay Christie - Blues:
Aaron Smith was his usual best, a nuisance and controversially involved in two disallowed tries for the visitors but Christie enjoyed a good outing scoring a brace tries and accurate distribution. He is slowly showing why he is keeping Sam Nock on the bench who made a good contribution off the bench too.