Rugby: Composed Blues erase a longstanding Reds hex

The Blues erased a competition-long hex as they shoved a "Back to Ballymore" revival slogan back down the Reds' throats.

In monsoon-like conditions on Saturday night, the visitors recovered from conceding a shock opening-minute try to gather their game after the interval and pull away for a historic 27-18 victory.

Five previous times the sides have duelled at Ballymore and on each occasion, including a 51-13 drubbing in the debut 1996 season, the Reds have triumphed.

This time the Blues settled on a hit-and-run mission. They arrived the night before the match, duked it out in humid, driving rain and headed home with a precious cargo of their second successive away victory.

Torrential conditions in training last week had helped.

"It was really bucketing down," captain Keven Mealamu said. "As the day wore on it got worse. We expected the humidity, and having our training where we had a big downpour on Thursday, we were pretty much prepared for that. It worked well for us."

Some individual class helped too. Makeshift centre Rene Ranger botched one try when he ignored a huge overlap, but he soon atoned for it.

Stuck near the touchline when he received a loopy pass, Ranger somehow swivelled, barged and bounced his way past, through and around seven defenders to score in the corner. It was a special moment from a talented player who can mix indiscipline with wondrous attack.

The Blues trailed at the break but like the previous week in Dunedin, they ratcheted up the heat soon after.

A strong series of pick and drives propelled Anthony Boric across the line, and then halfback Alby Mathewson outsprinted a sloppy Reds defence to race 40 metres from a lineout overthrow. Those twin strikes had the Blues in the lead and looking as though they could stretch away.

However, the prospect of a wider margin took a sudden hit from an assistant referee's call which alarmed Blues coach Pat Lam.

"Obviously it was a big turning point in the game," he said. "At 20 points to 13 we were right on attack and his intervention was questionable, but we have to cop that one.

"But it brought them all the way back 80 metres, and obviously they scored from that and made the game closer than it needed to be."

Further tremors came as the TMO was called on to judge who had forced the ball in a slithery scramble behind the Blues line. The Blues' scrum then conceded a tighthead and Quade Cooper missed a handy penalty.

Those scrapes avoided, Mathewson hared down the touchline chasing his own kick before the ball squirted out of his grasp over the tryline. But the anxiety levels were quelled as the Reds coughed up the ball in their 22 and Rudi Wulf scored from the turnover.

It had been an arm-wrestle and a mental test for the Blues. They survived tremors of their own making and others thrown at them, showing a level of composure that has not been their hallmark.