Rugby: Blues topple Hurricanes

Blues player Anthony Boric scores a try against the Hurricanes during the Super Rugby trial match. Photo / Getty Images

The selection headache has kicked in for Blues coach Pat Lam following his side's 36-22 defeat of the Hurricanes in their first Super 15 warm-up match at Whangarei's Toll Stadium today.

All Blacks Jerome Kaino and Anthony Boric started the match but Lam kept several other World Cup winners sidelined, including Piri Weepu, Ali Williams and Kevin Mealamu, allowing them more time off before starting another intensive year of rugby.

Their absence gave others a chance, including wider training group players, and many impressed Lam and left him feeling confident he has good depth ahead of the start of their Super 15 campaign against the Crusaders on February 24.

Hadleigh Parkes, who set Northland flanker Dan Pryor up for a try late, did a solid job at second five-eighths in the absence of All Black Ma'a Nonu.

With Nonu's Japanese club side Ricoh Black Rams looking likely to make the finals, Nonu could be missing until round five.

Michael Hobbs was given the first opportunity in the hotly-contested No 10 jersey and distributed the ball effectively around the park before being replaced by Gareth Anscombe.

"We have one game under our belts now and have something to work on when we head into camp on Monday," Lam said. "Some of the guys haven't played rugby since August and, after all our hard work on our systems and structures, to get six tries to one is really positive.

"There are work-ons. We gave away too many penalties and the referees pulled us up on, which we wanted them to do.

"We have three games to solidify players' positions. It's a bit of a selection headache for [assistant] Bryce [Woodward] but we're OK with that. It shows we have a lot of depth within the squad."

Like most pre-season fixtures, errors and turnovers plagued the game and often meant it lacked shape.

Blues skipper Kaino grabbed the first try after five minutes and George Moala, Chris Lowrey and Anthony Boric also crossed in the first spell to give them a convincing 26-3 halftime lead.

Both sides were shuffled for the second half, and the Hurricanes quickly got to work clawing their way back into the game through the boot of Beauden Barrett.

The Blues ill-discipline proved costly and Barrett successfully landed four penalties and a conversion of Julian Savea's try but the game swung back in the Blues' favour when replacement centre Rene Ranger made a trademark break and offloaded to wing Sherwin Stowers to score.

Pryor's try with three minutes left remaining secured the game for the Blues - a game Lam said he was glad was out of the way. They head into camp at Whangaparoa on Monday before tackling the Rebels in Melbourne next Saturday.

Blues 36 (Jerome Kaino, George Moala, Chris Lowrey, Anthony Boric, Sherwin Stowers, Dan Pryor tries; Michael Hobbs 3 cons) Hurricanes 22 (Julian Savea try; Beauden Barrett 4 pens, con; Daniel Kirkpatrick). HT: 26-3.