Hurricanes hand out opening night Blues

Tana Umaga of the Hurricanes is tackled by Tasesa Lavea (L) and Daniel Braid (R) of the Blues. Phil Walter / Getty Images

The Hurricanes' swag of gamebreakers ensured history was reversed as they beat the Blues 37-19 in the first Super 14 rugby match at Eden Park in Auckland tonight.

Trailing 3-16 at halftime, the Hurricanes looked like they would be buried by their high error rate but five tries in 30 minutes after the break signified a huge turnaround.

Two All Blacks-laden teams played with ample intent but produced the sort of mistakes expected in an early February match, the Hurricanes winning on the back of a 34-3 second-half performance when several of their big-name players awoke from their first-half malaise.

Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper was pleased his team recovered to back up his pronouncement earlier this week that it was time for his team to deliver on their potential.


"We've got a lot of experience, so I'm able to make those comments," he said.


"The team's been together the last couple of years and we have high expectations of ourselves. I was really pleased it went from the training field on to the ground."


Cooper said both teams were probably short of their best but he had confidence his players could turn their halftime deficit around because of the weight of possession in the first half.


"I thought we adapted better when the rain came, simply because we were more committed," he said.


"We were hungry at the loose ball, we've got some physical guys who attacked that area and I felt the Blues maybe at eight, nine and 10 haven't had much game time pre-season."


Blues captain Keven Mealamu said his side fell away at the breakdown as the game wore on.


"I think physically we were outmuscled a bit there and that's something we're going to have to look at before next week," he said.


"The more games under the belt, the more you're going to learn."


Blues coach David Nucifora was a philosophical figure after his first game in charge, believing his forwards did not stand up when the heat went on from the visitors.


"Pretty much when the rain came we went to water," he said.


"They're a very good back row. If you let them play with the ball in front of them, they're a handful for anyone.


"They played the conditions far better than we did."


He wasn't surprised by what the Hurricanes produced, believing they would trouble a lot of teams with the quality of their players.


"Both their midfield and their powerful back row. Once we let them come into their own in both those areas, they found holes in the midfield. We didn't let that happen in the first half," he said.


"We're all bitterly disappointed but we showed enough glimpses of some good football in that first half against a good side. We have to learn from some poor judgment.


"We know we're a better side than that and we have to be smarter than that."

Tonight's result turned history on its head.

Ten years ago the two teams introduced Super 12 rugby to the world at Palmerston North, with the Blues emerging 36-28 winners.

Tonight's scoreline, in the inaugural Super 14 match, came about because the defence of both teams lacked precision, although the same could be said of the much of the work with ball in hand.

Heavy rain for the last 30 minutes ensured the mistake rate only increased.

With their scrum starting to backpedal, it took a series of high-speed attacking raids from the Hurricanes -- inspired mainly by their star-studded backs or the aggressive work of loose fowards Rodney So'oialo, Jerry Collins and Chris Masoe -- to swing the game's momentum after halftime.

Blues second five-eighth Luke McAlister and Hurricanes No 10 Jimmy Gopperth traded penalties inside the first 10 minutes but it was half an hour before Blues centre Ben Atiga crossed for the competition's first try and his team's only one for the night.

The try gave the hosts a lift and they dominated the period before halftime, with McAlister slotting two more penalties.

The Blues had looked slicker in the backs and more cohesive on the drive but it all unravelled in the second spell.

The Hurricanes struck three minutes after halftime through winger Lome Fa'atau, who received a neat inside flick from fullback Isaia Toeava after the overlap was created from an attacking scrum.

They pulled within one point when second five-eighth Tana Umaga completed a slick 50m move involving Fa'atau and Toeava which featured a series of flat passes.

Ma'a Nonu, who had just shifted from wing to centre, then powered through replacement halfback Steve Devine and fullback Isa Nacewa to score under the crossbar.

That came just moments after Devine had gone down with a heavy head knock.

McAlister knocked over his fourth penalty but All Blacks flanker Jerry Collins pushed the visitors clear when he slid over after a series of Blues mistakes.

Fa'atau sealed the result with his second try when flanker Chris Masoe monstered Blues halfback John Senio and sent the winger clear 40m out.

The Hurricanes, who beat the Blues only once in the Super 12, host the Western Force in round two while the Blues travel to Dunedin to face the Highlanders.

Hurricanes 37 (Lome Fa'atau 2, Tama Umaga, Ma'a Nonu, Jerry Collins tries; Jimmy Gopperth pen, 2 con, David Holwell pen, con)

Blues 19 (Ben Atiga try; Luke McAlister 4 pen, con).

Halftime: 3-16.
- NZPA