Hurricanes 34
Blues 20
First blood to the Hurricanes.
After a slow solid beginning, the visitors scored an unanswered 22 points in the second spell to suggest they will give the Super 14 title a decent shake this season.
They relied on the goalkicking mastery of Willie Ripia and Piri Weepu to get them home but also looked more controlled than they had been in previous seasons.
Early days but points now are gold for any side.
Blues' coach Pat Lam said a lack of discipline put them on the back foot and the game started to turn in the second half.
"That's the heaviest we've been penalised since our three warm-up games so we've got to check that out but it cost us tonight."
By halftime the Blues had scored the only tries and held the lead which suggested they were in a decent space for this final season of the competition.
However, they were shut out of the match after the break and eventually trudged off the park without even a bonus point for their work.
It was a sharp shift in fortune mirrored in some ways by the performance from new Blues five-eighths signing Stephen Brett. His first spell looked sharp, but like his team the edge disappeared as the game wore on.
He opened his Blues career in stunning style after just four minutes when he snaked past some sloppy drift defence and collected a converted try.
It was a terrific start for one of the team's star imports and for the Blues who have been sweating all summer on their fitness and prospects of correcting their last flaky campaign.
Brett added to his sharp beginning when he broke past Ma'a Nonu not long after and offloaded to tighthead prop John Afoa who crunched across the chalk.
The five-eighths knocked over his first three handy kicks to give him a foundation of confidence the Blues will hope he builds on. Brett's early success ran into several dramas though when an ambitious pass midway through the second half was intercepted by the predatory Hosea Gear who strolled away for the converted try.
Somehow the Hurricanes were in front when it seemed they had scarcely threatened after Ripia had kicked a second-minute penalty.
Brett compounded his error when his clearing kick was charged down minutes later and the Canes kicked a handy penalty. As the Blues entered the final quarter, they were suddenly chasing a game which they looked to be controlling at the interval.
Both coaches went to the bench as they looked to maintain a tempo which some of the players found difficult to maintain.
As their nerves and energy levels were tested, Blues centre Isaia Toeava was spotted playing the ball on the ground and was sinbinned. To compound the mistake, Weepu converted the penalty from halfway and the Hurricanes had an eight-point lead with a man advantage for the final 10 minutes.
They built on that advantage as Weepu kicked them to an unassailable lead.
Not long after halftime, Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper dragged his starting five-eighths Willie Ripia and sent Aaron Cruden on for his Super 14 debut.
Two minutes later he lay in pain on the turf after being creamed, in a legal tackle by the Blues' backline enforcer Benson Stanley. Cruden recovered, but like his teammates took some time to get into the match. When they did though, their collective clout was too much for the hosts.
Hurricanes 34 (Hosea Gear try, Willie Ripia 5 pen, Piri Weepu 4 pen, con).
Blues 20 (Stephen Brett, John Afoa tries, Brett 2 pen, 2 con). Halftime: 12-20.
VERDICT ON THE BREAKDOWN
Stu Dickinson blew a merry tune on his Acme Thunderer as he and the players butted brains, rights and interpretations in the tackled ball arena. Ruling the law as it was originally written, after several seasons of leeway, offered more chances for the side in possession. Speedy defenders who had swotted hard over the summer and put those lessons into practice prospered at North Harbour Stadium but, as in all quality areas in the sport, their success demanded timing, patience and a touch of con artist.
