The boys followed it up with a gutsy 33-29 win over the Hurricanes, a thrilling battle from the opening hooter to the final whistle.
Looking to strike early, the Hurricanes were met by a formidable Blues defence. The first points went to the hosts with a Harry Godfrey penalty after 10 minutes, but it wasn’t long before the boys made their mark.
The forward pack went to work, building pressure inside the Hurricanes' 22. Back to back infringements saw Xavier Numia sent to the bin, and the boys pounced. They were too powerful for the seven-man scrum, earning a penalty try and sending another Canes front-rower to the naughty chair.
The Hurricanes slotted a penalty before the Blues hit back. Strong carries had the team marching upfield, and when Patrick Tuipulotu broke the line, Ricky Riccitelli was right there to dive over to extend the lead to 14-6.
A slick individual try from Godfrey followed, along with a pair of penalty goals, which narrowed the gap. However the Blues held onto a slender 21-19 lead until the break.
Midway through the second half, the Hurricanes grabbed the lead with a try from Kini Naholo, but the Blues weren’t done. After 20 minutes of fierce goal-line defence, the Blues finally got to attack. The forwards muscled up, with Hoskins Sotutu sneaking around the right edge to cut the deficit to a single point, setting the stage for the play of the game.
From deep in our own half, Beauden Barrett split the defence and fired a wide ball to Caleb Clarke, who weaved through defenders before the ball swung across to Mark Telea. With plenty still to do, Telea turned on the afterburners and scorched down the right touchline to score the match winner. Pure magic!
How good was Mark Telea? The electric winger ran for 82 metres, beat five defenders, and scored the try that sealed the game. Beauden Barrett was instrumental with his vision and pace, while Josh Beehre was enormous in the forward pack racking up a massive 25 tackles and carrying hard all night.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was a huge step up, and the boys showed their championship quality to take down the Canes on their home turf. This weekend, we’re back under the lights at Eden Park for another epic double-header as the nib Blues face the Chiefs Manawa, and the Blues take on the Brumbies. You won’t want to miss it see you there!