But in the final moments of the game, after prop Eloise Blackwell had been sent off for a high shot on Matatū No 10 Hannah King, it was the pack who stood up; Maiakawanakaulani Roos and Awhina Tangen-Wainohu making some big plays on their own goal line with the game on the line.
While Matatū came up short, centre Amy du Plessis and No 8 Kaipo Olsen-Baker were among the standout players on the pitch, while halfback Maia Joseph made some crafty plays early before a failed head injury assessment ended her night before halftime.
The Blues had been the form team through the regular season, earning hosting rights as the top seed, however they were tipped up by Matatū in the second of their regular season matchups a fortnight ago.
In the early moments of the final, it was the southerners who came to play from the opening whistle.
Matatū dominated the early stages, making in-roads in the Blues defence with some smart play through the hands; Joseph with a great draw and pass to put Olsen-Baker through a gap for the first half chance of the game, but her pass to try and link up with a teammate was wayward.
It was a promising sign for the visitors though, and they soon did open the scoring through right wing Winnie Palamo after a long, lofted pass from du Plessis found her in space and she burned the cover defence in the race to the corner.
It was all Matatū early as the Blues conceded eight penalties inside the opening 17 minutes, welcoming their visitors into attacking territory. When du Plessis stretched out to score from close range and make the score 12-0 inside the first 20 minutes.
But while penalties helped Matatū, handling errors hurt them. Scrum on halfway allowed the Blues to launch; Demant twice putting a teammate through a gap. The first saw Woodman-Wickliffe find Demant on the inside to score, while the second saw Sorensen-McGee brought down shy of the line, but a try soon eventuated.
With the Blues ahead 14-12 at halftime, both sides would have fancied their chances, but it was Matatū who pushed ahead through Olsen-Baker.
The Blues forged ahead less than 10 minutes later, however, and were able to protect their lead in the dying stages to seal their second title in a row.
They’ll now meet the Waratahs on Thursday, in the first crossover match between the New Zealand and Australian champions.
Blues 26 (Ruahei Demant, Chryss Viliko, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Braxton Sorensen-McGee tries; Krysten Cottrell 2 cons, Demant con)
Matatū 19 (Winnie Palamo, Amy du Plessis, Kaipo Olsen-Baker tries; Hannah King 2 cons)
HT: 14-12
