The Blues returned from the bye in style, edging out the Hurricanes 19-18 in a nail-biter to cap off a successful double-header for the club on Saturday night.
The opening quarter was a tense arm wrestle, with both sides looking to land the first blow. The Blues defended superbly to repel wave after wave of Hurricanes pressure, even after going down to 14 men in the 14th minute when captain Patrick Tuipulotu was shown yellow for a high shot.
Despite being a man down, the Blues marched into the Hurricanes' 22 and earned a penalty. Beauden Barrett calmly slotted it to open the scoring. The Hurricanes responded with three of their own before Barrett nudged the Blues back in front. But the visitors struck just before the break with a try and penalty goal to take a 13-6 lead.
The Blues responded immediately. Caleb Clarke soared to claim the restart, setting the tone for a bruising attack. Strong carries from Anton Segner and Hoskins Sotutu earned a penalty five metres out. The boys tapped quickly, and the forwards went to work, with Marcel Renata barging over. Barrett’s conversion made it 13-all at halftime.
Early in the second half, the Blues hit the lead again through Barrett’s boot, and it became a test of defence. The Hurricanes finally broke through out wide on the hour mark, but another penalty in Barrett’s range gave him the chance to put the Blues back in front and he didn’t miss.
The final stages were tense, but the Blues defence held strong to close out the one-point win.
Barrett was brilliant in his return, scoring 14 of the 19 points and leading the team with 57 running metres. The loose forward trio of Segner, Dalton Papali’i and Sotutu were tireless all night Segner and Sotutu combined for 88 metres with ball in hand, while Papali’i made 25 tackles without a miss.
It was a gutsy win and a timely boost heading into the back half of the season. Next up, a historic showdown with Moana Pasifika at Eden Park. Don’t miss it!