Blues 24
Hurricanes 47
The Super Rugby Pacific table suggests the Hurricanes and Blues are close competitors and, indeed, both contenders for this year’s title.
Their respective trajectories this season, though, are heading in polar opposite directions.
The Blues, increasingly, appear anything but genuine title contenders.
Another compelling, dominant win for the Hurricanes, meanwhile, enhances their credentials and strengthens their grip on top spot.
On a night where Eden Park welcomed its largest crowd of the season and Sean Fitzpatrick, Zinzan Brooke and Carlos Spencer were the inaugural inductees into the Blues hall of fame, those revered old boys must have been left shaking their heads.
With 22 missed tackles in the first half – 33 in the match – a misfiring lineout and an attack that struggled to maintain possession or pose any significant, consistent threats, with two obstruction penalties underlining their issues, the Blues were sloppy at best, shambolic at their worst.
After an underwhelming loss to the Crusaders in Christchurch last week, vast improvements were demanded internally and expected externally.
Those, in short, did not arrive, leaving the third-placed Blues in serious danger of blowing home advantage in the first week of the looming playoffs.
Away from home, with Cam Roigard, their most influential player, absent through injury, the Hurricanes made their first win at Eden Park in seven years look all too easy.
With front rowers Asafo Aumua and Xavier Numia punching forward, Peter Lakai snaffling turnovers and carrying strongly and their lethal backline adding finesse, the Hurricanes once again showcased their ability to do it all.
The cherry on top is their superb strike move execution this season – Kini Naholo’s second-half finish from a sweeping inside ball off a maul the latest example.
The contrast between these teams couldn’t have been starker.
The Hurricanes were largely fluent, organised, accurate and ruthless while embracing a variety of attacking threats – from the maul to Fehi Fineanganofo’s potency.
Their big improvement this season is their swarming, aggressive defence which fuels their status as the team to generate the most turnovers in the competition.
The other sign of a quality team is back-up players stepping in to fill voids and not missing a beat - as halfback Ereatara Enari did with his performance in this match.
The Blues appear increasingly bereft of confidence, ideas and the ability to execute basic skills under pressure.
Three contrasting first-half strikes from Warner Dearns, Jordie Barrett and Pasilio Tosi established a 21-0 lead to put the contest to bed by halftime.
Dearns stunned Beauden Barrett with a charge-down try. Jordie Barrett finished a Fineanganofo break with some nifty footwork. And Tosi used his bulk to crash over.
Fineanganofo – as he’s been throughout this season – was ever present, this time from the right edge.
His second-half finish drew the dynamic wing level with Ben Lam and Joe Roff to equal the record for 16 tries in a single season.
It’s only a matter of time now before Fineanganofo claims that record outright. And his performance tonight will continue calls to do everything possible to extradite him from his two-year deal with Newcastle.
The Blues weren’t helped by Pita Ahki’s late injury exit which sparked a backline reshuffle with Xavi Taele shifting to second five, AJ Lam to centre and Cole Forbes to the right wing.
They also lost three forwards - Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Hoskins Sotutu and Bradley Slater – to head knocks.
But their issues appear to run much deeper than that misfortune.
No team can expect to win a finals match conceding seven tries – and their most points in history to the Hurricanes.
This result cannot be cast aside as an aberration, either. Earlier this year in round nine in Wellington the Hurricanes humbled the understrength Blues 42-19.
Conjuring a similar result on Eden Park gives further credence to the Hurricanes’ claims – and where the Blues sit in the pecking order.
Blues loose forwards Anton Segner and Malachi Wrampling, the latter with one first-half break and a second-half try, offered rare bright sparks but with a bye next week and the Chiefs in Hamilton to finish the regular season, Vern Cotter’s men could well finish with three straight losses.
That’s hardly ideal preparation for the playoffs and could see them concede home advantage.
With the Highlanders and Chiefs to finish their regular season campaign the Hurricanes may need one more win to lock up top spot.
On this evidence, they fully deserve such a reward.
Blues 24 (Malachi Wrampling, AJ Lam, Sam Darry, Kurt Eklund tries; Beauden Barrett con, Stephen Perofeta con)
Hurricanes 47 (Warner Dearns, Jordie Barrett, Pasilio Tosi, Kini Naholo, Fehi Fineanganofo, Raymond Tuputupu, Peter Lakai tries; Ruben Love 6 cons)
HT: 0-21