Charles Piutau is a player the All Blacks definitely didn't want to lose. But it is understood he has been offered and has already signed a deal in Europe.

It's after nights like these that John Kirwan, rather than resigning himself to going back to the drawing board, must be tempted to smash the thing to smithereens and start on something else like an old stone tablet that he could also use to knock some se

John Kirwan's decision to replace first-five Ihaia West with Dan Bowden could be seen as either a pragmatic move or a desperate last throw of the dice.

The last time the Blues boarded a return flight from Sydney with a victory smile alongside their boarding pass was back in 2003 when they won the tournament.

Salvage theories about the Blues will continue to grow as the team remains winless this season and cast at the bottom of the points table.

As the Blues search for answers to their tumbling fortunes, they should be looking up the Japanese and Welsh phone directories, writes Wynne Gray.

Former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe has a simple message for Sir John Kirwan - resign.

The Blues' players are now on a bye week which represents a few days off to get away from what is becoming a train-wreck of a season.

It wasn't their best performance of 2015 but the Hurricanes eventually ground their way to a 30-23 win in Palmerston North tonight as they kept their unbeaten record intact.

Some of what the Hurricanes did against the Blues last night was out of a Harlem Globetrotters' playbook.

Relive the action from tonight's Super Rugby clash between the unbeaten Hurricanes and the winless Blues, from FMG Stadium in Palmerston North.

As the Blues face their latest drama, one of their coaching castoffs, Joe Schmidt, is aiming at a landmark with Ireland.

If there is a straw the Blues can clutch ahead of tonight's game it is the story of the spreadsheet - which shows there is a foundation from which they can work.

The smart money is on the unbeaten Hurricanes claiming the competition points tomorrow, but statistics offer a few gremlins.

A delayed concussion for skipper Jerome Kaino has ruled him out of the match against the Hurricanes.

John Kirwan faces the very real prospect of losing his job if the results don't come over the next three or four weeks.

The struggling Blues will be without captain Jerome Kaino for their clash with the Hurricanes in Palmerston North on Friday as the All Black recovers from a concussion.

Go on then, write them off. Screw up your tickets and burn your scarves and refuse to watch them for the rest of the season.