Rugby: Hurricanes and Blues turn on heat as NZ sides come to boil

Hurricanes' Ardie Savea in action against the Crusaders. Photo / Photosport

As the dust settles on an extraordinary round of Super Rugby, including a brilliant victory by the Blues away from home – perhaps one of their best ever – it's clear yet again that the New Zealand sides number among the strongest and most destructive of the competition.

The table doesn't necessarily show that yet, with the Rebels on top after three bonus point victories over the Reds, Sunwolves and Brumbies, but the perennial strugglers from Melbourne will likely find a home nearer the middle of the table once they play teams from outside their conference.

The Blues made a massive statement by coming from 18 points down to beat the Lions in Johannesburg, and so did the Jaguares by beating the Waratahs in Buenos Aires, but the most intense of the lot was the Hurricanes' victory over the Crusaders in Wellington.

The Hurricanes' approach was not subtle. It involved racing up and smashing the visitors in Wellington every time they got the ball and a byproduct were concussion injuries to Crusaders captain Sam Whitelock and vice-captain Ryan Crotty within the first 10 minutes of their 29-19 victory.

Neither man returned to the Westpac Stadium pitch after leaving for concussion tests, which won't please All Blacks coach Steve Hansen either, and the Crusaders appeared surprised at the tactics of their opponents who only days earlier had returned from a lacklustre tour of South Africa and Argentina.

"We put a lot of heat on those first two passes and in and around the ruck," Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd told Mark Watson on Newstalk ZB. "It's the way we like to defend.

"You never like to see players injured but it is part of the game and I'm sure Sam Whitelock and Ryan Crotty and [previously injured] Richie Mo'unga are a key part of their on-field organisation. When all three of them are missing obviously from a Crusaders point of view other guys have to stand up."

Hurricanes midfielder Ngani Laumape and fullback Jordie Barrett were standouts for their side, who have overtaken the Crusaders to go to third overall before their bye next weekend.

The Highlanders took a while to get into gear against the Stormers in Dunedin, but their class shone through in the second half and their task next weekend is to host a Crusaders team hoping to put their disappointment behind them.

But the Super Rugby story of the weekend belongs to the Blues. Criticised severely after losing to a depleted Chiefs team at Eden Park, they got to Johannesburg late because of an issue with their flight out of Auckland but looked as fresh and as fit as they ever have in the Republic during their 38-35 win.

The Hurricanes got it badly wrong against the Bulls in Pretoria in their first match, but the Blues didn't appear affected by the altitude or the fact they were down 21-3 at one stage of the first half and 28-10 after the break.

Umaga's men thrive on a lack of expectation so the big test will be to see how they respond next Sunday against the Stormers in Capetown.

But, whisper it, the Stormers face a tough long-haul trip home after a troubled time in Australia and New Zealand – where they lost all three of their matches and suffered illness and injury issues – so the Blues must be considered a good chance to beat them.

If so, the New Zealand conference really will be anyone's.