In a match between the longtime New Zealand rivals, the Hurricanes had the last attacking opportunity and battered the Blues’ goal line in the final moments of a match between the first- and second-place teams after 12 of 15 regular-season rounds.
Blues finally won a defensive turnover and kicked the ball out to end four minutes after fulltime to take pole position which they will likely hold on to for home advantage throughout the play-offs.
“We put a premium on defence and in tough times like that, that’s when it counts,” Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu said. “We want to back our defence and trust it and it paid off in the end.”
Hurricanes came close to winning the match when Super Rugby’s record try-scorer, scrumhalf TJ Perenara got the 64th of his career in the 68th minute, putting the Hurricanes only a point behind the Blues.
But fly-half Harry Plummer kicked a penalty soon after – his fifth goal from five attempts – to stretch the Blues lead to four points and they held on.
“Rugby’s a cruel game,” Hurricanes captain Brad Shields said. “It was pretty tense which is what we expected. I think we let them into the game too early and the fact we managed to stay in it was good.”
The Blues scored after only five minutes through centre Bryce Heem but the Hurricanes struck back with a try from Shields. A try to Cole Forbes put the Blues ahead 14-5 before Hurricanes winger Josh Moorby cut the lead to 1410 at half-time.
Denne historien er fra May 12, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 12, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Edwards gives Gatland a little to think about
A TERRIFIC effort from Ospreys should have seen victory and it was rough justice that high-flying Cardiff escaped with an undeserved draw.
Cowan-Dickie: I'm back and buzzing
LUKE Cowan-Dickie's journey back to the pinnacle of rugby is nothing short of extraordinary.
Clow keeps Rams in touch at the top
RAMS inward approach is paying dividends with the club involved in another title race thanks in part to free scoring flyer Zachary Clow.
Powell powers over to take Quins home
PLAYMAKER Kayleigh Powell powered past four defenders to score the eighth Harlequins try and narrowly edge out a spirited Trailfinders side to secure a late comeback win in a 15-try derby thriller.
Hathaway can follow Zam Skivington
GEORGE Skivington has backed Josh Hathaway to continue to go from strength to strength as the young winger attempts to follow in the slipstream of Louis Rees-Zammit and be a big hit for club and country.
Hybrid Hash will tie Borthwick in knots
THE description 'Hybrid Central Contracts' does not inspire confidence. Hybrid usually means a bit of this, and a bit of that — and 'Hybrid Hash' would be a more apt term for the RFU contracts given to 17 England players just before the autumn series slump.
Quins leave it late to power past Falcons
MARCUS Smith showed his class on Friday night, being an imperious creator and finisher as Harlequins romped to an emphatic five-try victory on Tyneside.
We need to see a complete shake-up
A NEW year and change is on the way across many aspects of the game, not least with the possibility of an SGM creating a complete change at the RFU.
Cool McBryde steals it for RGC
BILLY McBryde held his nerve to land a last kick of the match conversion to snatch a stunning 4139 win for RGC over leaders Ebbw Vale at Parc Eirias.
Century of highs for La Rochelle
AN IMPRESSIVE milestone at Stade Marcel Deflandre was reached last night, where La Rochelle hosted their 100th sell-out match in a row – either side of the period of pandemic restrictions – a run stretching back to January 2, 2016.
