Winger Caleb Clarke scored two tries because the Auckland Blues produced a 3rd dominant win for New Zealand groups within the Tremendous Rugby Pacific quarter-finals with a 36-5 victory over Fijian Drua at Eden Park.
In what was at all times going to be a bodily contest, the Blues raced to a 22-0 lead after 35 minutes on Saturday and held off a Drua fightback to hitch the Waikato Chiefs and Wellington Hurricanes within the semi-finals.
The Hurricanes earlier beat the Melbourne Rebels 47-20 within the New Zealand capital to drop the curtain on the 14-year existence of the Australian outfit.
The Chiefs beat the Queensland Reds 43-21 in Hamilton on Friday.
The Blues had missed out on high spot within the closing standings solely on factors distinction, whereas the Drua had not received on the street this yr and the gulf at school was clear within the first half at Eden Park.
Flanker Dalton Papali’i, scrum-half Finlay Christie and Clarke crossed for tries because the Blues executed with precision and the Drua made a succession of errors.
Fiji winger Selestino Ravutaumada triggered a Drua fightback with a superb, mazy run for a attempt three minutes into the second half, and for some time the guests grabbed the momentum.
The Blues by no means recovered their dominance, however alternative hooker Kurt Eklund scored a try to Clarke scythed by the defence to seize his second to snuff out any hope of an upset.
“I do not suppose the scoreboard displays how robust a sport that was, they actually introduced it to us,” mentioned Papali’i, who took over as Blues captain when Patrick Tuipulotu went off with a knee damage.
“It is finals footy now, it is the perfect groups now enjoying for the tip purpose, and that is to win the entire thing. Week by week we have got to show up.”
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