Blues leave it late to claim bonus point win against Kings
By Andy Charles
Last Updated: 07/05/16 7:03pm
The Kings are still seeking their second Super Rugby win of the season after going down 34-18 to the Blues in Port Elizabeth.
Auckland secured a bonus point victory deep into added time but there were plenty of positives for the home side, who had been embarrassed 73-27 by the Jaguares in their most recent outing.
They were bang in contention for a win going into the final quarter but a pair of late tries from Billy Guyton and Tevita Li made sure the Blues would not slip to a shock defeat.
James Parsons put them in front with the first try of the game, after Elgar Watts had opened the scoring with a penalty for the Kings.
They claimed the lead for a spell in the opening period when quick thinking from James Hall saw him smash into the padding at the bottom of the posts for a score, with Watts adding the conversion.
But the Kings would have to fight back from a half-time deficit thanks to two quick Blues tries, Melani Nanai exploding through their defence to score on 25 minutes and then scoring almost a carbon copy four minutes later.
A penalty from Ihaia West made it 22-10 after the break but a spell of Kings pressure ended with Edgar Marutlulle crossing for a score to reduce the deficit to seven points.
Jurgen Visser's penalty meant there were four points in it with 10 minutes remaining, but any hopes they had of victory were dashed when Guyton picked up on a turnover in the scrum to score a crucial try.
And they were made to pay again in the sixth minute of added time, as the Blues claimed a bonus point when Li dived over for a fifth try of the afternoon.
It was the first Blues victory in South Africa for four years, spanning seven matches.
