Mark Telea of the Blues celebrates his try with Taufa Funaki. Photo / Photosport
By Liam Napier at Eden Park
Blues 31
Hurricanes 27
Super Rugby favouritism resides with the Blues after they wrestled top spot away from the Hurricanes and took a definitive step towards locking up home advantage for the looming finals.
As a stunning late afternoon kickoff gave way to a crisp, clear winter evening the Blues and Hurricanes lured 25,900 through the Eden Park gates to witness a top of the table classic.
If there is a blueprint for Super Rugby to aspire to, this is it. More afternoon kickoffs please.
Eight tries, multiple changes of lead, gripping tension through the dying stages to have the healthy turnout riding every ebb and flow, this was a contest to savour.
It wasn’t always polished or perfect, and with several stars missing, both teams will improve in the three final regular season weeks, but there was enough punch and counter punch to prove highly engaging.
As the Hurricanes bashed away at the Blues line at the death, the crowd rose to their feet. Desperate Blues defence denied the Hurricanes on this occasion, with replacement halfback Sam Nock stealing the ball and booting it into the stands, but it’s clear very little separates these contenders.
Vern Cotter’s Blues have flown under the radar to a degree this season but after notching their eighth win in succession, their 11th in a row at Eden Park, to claim top spot, there is no denying their title claims now.
The Blues face a challenging run to the playoffs with the Highlanders (home), Crusaders (away) and Chiefs (home). Kiwi derbies are never easy. From here, though, they are in the box seat to clinch top seeding.
This was, however, a fine margin victory. And with the Hurricanes trumping the Blues in Wellington in early March, if these teams meet again in the playoffs predicting a victor will be no easy feat.
“It could have bounced either way,” Cotter said. “If you look at that last two minutes on our line that’s where you get real satisfaction. They’re a really good team. They’re hard to breakdown. We were missing a few, they were missing a few. If there’s a third game it will be a cracker.”
The only blight for the Blues came with fullback Zarn Sullivan suffering a cruel blow midway through the first half. In his first match back in six weeks following a PCL injury, Sullivan collapsed to the turf without being touched while returning the ball with another knee ligament issue that could end his season.
“It was his other knee – he did the other side. That’s really bad luck,” Cotter said. “I saw him on the ground again. That’s part of the game and we got a couple of other knocks as well. It was a physical game so the medical team will be busy to get everybody patched up and that will be the theme until the end of the season. There’s no easy games from now on and that will take its toll. We’ll have to look after ourselves.”
With both teams scoring four tries each goal kicking ultimately proved the difference. While Blues playmaker Harry Plummer was flawless off the tee, Brett Cameron missed two conversions before Jordie Barrett assumed the duties.
The Hurricanes competed across the park, giving the ball air and attempting to offload at almost every opportunity which didn’t always come off.
The Blues, as they have all season, took the direct route to largely rumble, bump and bash their way over the line. All the Blues tries came from close range. Their approach could be deemed predictable but it’s clearly highly efficient and effective.
The Hurricanes weren’t far away from causing an upset but they only led once and their vaunted loose forward trio didn’t have the same impact as in recent weeks. Their second defeat of the season – after losing to the Brumbies in Canberra two weeks ago – leaves minor questions of late season wobbles.
With Moana (home), Chiefs (away) and the Highlanders (home) to come the Hurricanes should bank at least two more wins before entering the finals.
Against the Blues, the Hurricanes weren’t helped by late deflections with in-form centre Billy Proctor, Super Rugby’s leading prop Tyrel Lomax and starting lock Caleb Delany pulling before kickoff. That pushed Bailyn Sullivan, Justin Sangster and Pasilio Tosi into start, and reshuffled the bench.
In that context Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw remains rather upbeat about his side’s prospects.
“The way we hung in there was really encouraging,” Laidlaw said. “To have the opportunity to win it at the end was good. The way the players who had to step up did that. As we continue to try and build depth in the team that’s really encouraging. We’re frustrated and disappointed to lose but I’m actually quite excited around what I’ve seen tonight.
“They’re a big powerful team and once they get on the front foot they can stay there. How you stop that will be a big part of the review. We would have probably felt like we’d snuck it if we got it at the end. The Blues deserved it.
“If you’re good enough to get those home playoff games at home that’d be nice. We’ll dust ourselves off. There’s some tough games to come.”
The Blues led 14-10 at halftime but, in a highly competitive contest, there was never a sense either side would kick clear.
The Blues enjoyed the largest lead of the match – eight points – but the Hurricanes never let them out of sight, with TJ Perenara and Peter Lakai exposing the Blues goal line defence in the second half.
While they leaked soft tries at times when the blowtorch was applied at the death the Blues grasped the extinguisher.
As the business end of the season fast approaches, that quality bodes well.
Blues 31 (Bryce Heem, Cole Forbes, Mark Telea, Angus Ta’avao tries; Harry Plummer 4 cons, pen)
Hurricanes 27 (Brad Shields, Josh Moorby, Peter Lakai, TJ Perenara tries; Brett Cameron con, Jordie Barrett pen, con)
HT: 14-10
The All Blacks star made a brief appearance at his new club.