The Hurricanes have played the Blues 33 times in Super Rugby since 1996, the Hurricanes have won 17 matches, lost 15 times and drawn once.
The Hurricanes’ 17 wins give them a record of winning 52% of their games against the Blues regardless of venue.
- The Blues have won their last two Super Rugby games on the bounce against the Hurricanes; the last time they won more in succession against them was an eight-game streak in their first eight meetings in the competition from 1996 to2003.
- Three of the last four Super Rugby games when the Hurricanes have hosted the Blues have been won by the team trailing at half-time on the day, with the Canes picking up three wins in that span (L1).
- Six of the Hurricanes’ last eight Super Rugby games against fellow New Zealand opposition have been decided by a single-point margin on the day, including wins by seven and six points in their last two fixtures in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
- The Hurricanes have scored five tries on possession begun with a scrum win on their feed this Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, more than all other teams combined via this method.
- Hoskins Sotutu (Blues) has made 40 carries and 42 tackles throughout Super Rugby Aotearoa; he is the only player to have registered 40+ in both categories.
Match detail
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1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway at a wet but windless Sky Stadium, Wellington. There is no breeze and the conditions underfoot are greasy.
2.00: PENALTY! Otere Black opens the scoring with an easy penalty-goal. 0-3
3.00: The Canes are building patiently, going through the phases as they enter the opposition’s half.
4.00: TRY! Ngani Laumape races 40 metres down the left-hand touchline, goes around the flailing Beauden Barrett and barges his way over two cover defenders to get the game’s first try after a 10-phase attack. 5-3
6.00: CONVERSION! Jordie Barrett makes no mistake from out wide. 7-3
8.00: Blues are going through the phases, and have entered the Canes’ half.
9.00: TRY! Beauden Barrett silences the boos of his former fans as he races through a gap to score next to the poles. He threw a dummy, sending Du’Plessis Kirifi for an onion bagel before beating the cover defenders to score. 7-8
10.00: CONVERSION! Black adds the extras. 7-10
11.00: Laumape goes close, running over Beauden Barrett; however, he is stopped short of the chalk. Du’Plessis Kirifi put the centre away with a sublime dummy and break into the 22, but Laumape was just short.
12.00: YELLOW CARD! Emoni Narawa is sent to the naughty step after cynical play on his try-line as he stopped Laumape. 7-10
15.00: NO TRY! Jackson Garden-Bachop’s pop-pass to the supporting Jordie Barrett is forward out the hands. Boy, that was close. This game is electric. 7-10
16.00: Big scrum by the hosts, but Finlay Christie clears.
17.00: Peter Umaga-Jensen makes a line-break and races to the Blues’ 22. He throws a long pass to Kobus van Wyk, who cuts inside. The big South African is stopped by some brave defence, and the recycled ball is sent into touch.
18.00: Blues penalty; they clear to just outside their 22.
21.00: The Blues squander an attack by getting in each other’s way. Garden-Bachop takes the penalty quickly, booting the ball to the opposition’s 10m.
24.00: Aaron Carroll knocks-on after another big scrum by the hosts. Scrum in centre-field, 15 metres out and under the posts for the home team.
26.00: Penalty to the hosts.
28.00: MISS! Jordie Barrett hits the right-hand upright from in front before being bumped off the challenge for the rebounding ball. 7-10
29.00: TRY! The Blues go down the field, win an attacking lineout before mauling their way over the whitewash. Dalton Papali’i gets up with the ball. 7-15
31.00: MISS! Black also hits the right-hand upright. 7-15
33.00: Jordie Barrett kicks a penalty to the corner.
35.00: TRY! Reed Prinsep flops over the line after a powerful driving maul by the Hurricanes. 12-15
36.00: MISS! Barrett’s kick sails wide. 12-15
38.00: TJ Perenara steals the ball at the back of the Blues’ scrum, and races to the 22 before being tackled. Christie clears the danger.
40.00: A knock-on by the Blues gives the home team a final attack from halfway.
43.00: PENALTY! Barrett levels with the last play of the half. 15-15
The halftime score was Hurricanes 15 Blues 15
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway in Wellington.
43.00: Matt Duffie is coming on for Black, who is leaving the field with a nasty injury. Beauden Barrett will move to first receiver and Duffie to fullback. The ref calls the Blues’ doctor back to tell him the match doctor wants Black to leave for an HIA.
44.00: TRY! Another sustained attack, this time nine phases, ends with Dane Coles scoring under the posts. Dalton Papali’i missed Laumape which started the attack. Perenara’s pass to the hooker on the angle capped the move. 20-15
46.00: CONVERSION! Barrett makes no mistake this time. 22-15
48.00: It’s all Hurricanes as the Blues look like they are creaking.
51.00: The Canes are mixing high kicks with spreading the ball wide to their big ball carriers. Lean McDonald’s men better come up with something because they are under the pump.
54.00: Penalty to the Blues; they decide to kick to the corner, instead of taking the easy points.
56.00: Another penalty to the Blues after Tyrel Lomax collapsed the rolling maul. Barrett goes to the corner again.
57.00: TRY! The Blues are back in this. Akira Ioane gets up with the ball after another powerful maul. 22-20
58.00: CONVERSION! Beauden Barrett blocks out the boos to land the wide conversion. 22-22
60.00: It’s all Blues now as they start to get the upper hand in the tight phases.
63.00: TRY! Another driving maul ends in five points for the visitors. Kurt Eklund, with his last play of the game, got the score. 22-27
64.00: MISS! Barrett cannot land this attempt. 22-27
66.00: A knock-on is followed by offsides. Barrett boots the Blues to halfway.
69.00: Perenara kicks the ball out on the full bringing the play back to the Canes’ 10m.
71.00: The Blues are building through the phases, but after eight attacks, the visitors knock-on in contact.
73.00: A long passage of play saps the energy from the players. The Canes go 11 phases before spilling the ball near Auckland’s 22.
74.00: Slow ball for the Canes, but they have the penalty-advantage.
75.00: Hurricanes kick to touch and have a 5m lineout. It’s squeaky-bum time.
76.00: TRY! The Hurricanes bulldoze their way and get the ball on the line. Referee Ben O’Keeffe goes to the TMO, but the video evidence is inconclusive so we stick with the on-field decision. Asafo Aumua is credited with the score. 27-27
77.00: CONVERSION! Barrett makes no mistake and the home team lead. 29-27
79.00: The Blues are marching into the opposition’s territory and they look dangerous.
80.00: Beauden Barrett knocks on; that will be the game as the hooter sounds.
82.00: A reset scrum, but no dramas as the Hurricanes move to second on the log.
FULL TIME
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The final score is Hurricanes 29 (15) Blues 27 (15)
Scorers
Hurricanes
Tries – Laumape, Prinsep, Coles, Aumua
Pen – J. Barrett
Con – J. Barrett (3)
Drop –
Cards –
Blues
Tries – B. Barrett, Papali’i, A. Ioane, Eklund
Pen – Black
Con – Black, B. Barrett
Drop –
Cards – Narawa (Yellow, 12′)
Match Officials
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Brendon Pickerill
Assistant Ref 2: Paul Williams
TMO: James Doleman
Teams
Hurricanes
15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 9 Thomas Perenara (co-captain), 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 6 Reed Prinsep, 5 Scott Scrafton, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Dane Coles (captain), 1 Ben May
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Fraser Armstrong, 18 Alex Fidow, 19 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20 Vaea Fifita, 21 Jamie Booth, 22 Billy Proctor, 23 Wes Goosen
Blues
15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Emoni Narawa, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Harry Plummer, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Otere Black, 9 Finlay Christie; 8 Akira Ioane, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Aaron Carroll, 5 Josh Goodhue, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 3 Ofa Tuungafasi, 2 Kurt Eklund, 1 Alex Hodgman
Replacements: 16 Tolai Luteru, 17 Marcel Renata, 18 Sione Mafileo, 19 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20 Tony Lamborn, 21 Jonathan Ruru, 22 Thomas Faiane, 23 Matt Duffie
