Blues 19
Highlanders 15
Just as they did last week the Blues made a fast start. And just as they did at Albany, the spark plugs oiled up again in Dunedin.
However this time they sorted out the problem and even with a man down for the last few minutes when Rene Ranger was sinbinned, held on to outlast a gallant home side.
It was not entirely convincing but it was the victory the Blues coveted after their stumbling start last week.
They had a strong southerly to help their kicking game but it was a lengthy passage of ball retention and early interplay which suggested they had taken their A-game south to Carisbrook.
When fullback Paul Williams, a one-time Highlander then crossed in the corner to complete a multi-phase buildup which combined power, precision and strong decision-making the signs looked promising for the visitors.
They were stung by their defeat in round one when they blew an early lead as they were shut out of any second half scoring by the Hurricanes.
The width and accuracy of passes from Benson Stanley and Stephen Brett gave Williams a metre of space where his goose step, then shuffle allowed him to elude the last two defenders. But almost before the Blues had lost the warm glow of that start, they were stunned by the Highlanders reposte.
Lineout ball was worked to midfield where skipper Jimmy Cowan's run delayed the defence before his pass found blindside wing James Paterson steaming through the situations vacant in the Blues backline defence.
A simple offload to Israel Dagg brought the try and there was a second not long after to former Blues five-eighths Michael Hobbs. Called into starting action because of injury and form, Hobbs took full advantage of Tony Woodcock coughing up a pass on his own line. The Highlanders reclaimed the ball and Hobbs, eyeing Brett in between him and the tryline, backed himself and won the duel.
From their strong opening sequences, the Blues got the shakes. They lost ball in contact, felt the wrath of referee Bryce Lawrence at the breakdown and got the set piece wobbles. They suffered on their lineout throws and lost one scrum feed with a sloppy sequence.
All week the Blues claimed they had fixed the dramas which saw them penalised heavily in the opening round by Stu Dickinson. For large chunks of the opening spell it seemed that talk was cheap as Lawrence found regular and widespread fault with the visitors.
That broke their flow and interrupted any rhythm they were searching for. The pattern showed little sign of abating after the interval as the Highlanders speared towards the goal line with a delightful chip and regather from Hobbs carried on by Cowan.
The Blues were under huge heat and conceded a penalty but Hobbs like Brett for much of the night, lost his radar. That heralded a momentum swing.
And a large chunk of fortune as a Blues kick ricocheted off the Highlanders into John Afoa's mitts upfield.
The tighthead prop went into overdrive and drew defenders to put Williams over for his second touchdown.
Not long after Rudi Wulf's centre kick was just saved over the Highlanders' line before the Blues, showing much better patience, squeezed the defence in close then spread possession wide to Rene Ranger who clattered past three defenders to the line.
The Blues continued that heat which drew a yellow card for Josh Bekhuis infringing on his line. That numerical advantage should have seen the Blues seal the match in that period but their attempts to go for tries rather than kick for goal, brought no reward.
Blues 19 (P Williams 2, R Ranger, tries; S Brett 2 con)
Highlanders 15 (I Dagg, M Hobbs tries: M Hobbs con, Dagg pen ) Halftime: 7-12.
MAGIC MOMENT
Nothing beats a classy set piece try. It will take some doing for any side to beat last night's beauty from the Highlanders in this season's Super 14. From a lineout collect, skipper Jimmy Cowan ran wide to pop a pass to wing James Paterson scything through midfield before he unloaded a perfect pass for fullback Israel Dagg to belt across the chalk. Textbook stuff, training ground practice transferred expertly to the match arena.
