The Hurricanes have dominated the Blues 36-15 after a late surge of attack at Eden Park in Auckland tonight and handed the home team their 16th straight loss against New Zealand teams.
FULLTIME - BLUES 15 HURRICANES 36
The Hurricanes were just too strong tonight in Auckland against the Blues, with their super subs finishing things off in style.
79 mins - BLUES 15 HURRICANES 36
TRY! Bonus point try for the Hurricanes after a perfect cross-field kick from Ngani Laumape who finds his man Jordie Barrett on the right side. Barrett manages to offload the ball to Ardie Savea with Savea giving a late offload for Matt Proctor to score for the Canes.
Beauden Barrett misses his shot at goal from out wide.
70 mins - BLUES 15 HURRICANES 31
THREE! This time the Hurricanes choose to kick at goal and Beauden Barrett fires it straight between the uprights to give his side a 16 point lead.
66 mins - BLUES 15 HURRICANES 28
PENALTY! Just as the Blues were hot on attack they are penalised on the Hurricanes' 22m line for an infringement in the break down.
61 mins - BLUES 15 HURRICANES 28
TRY! Gareth Evans gets a sensational steal at line-out time and the Hurricanes get their mitts on the ball. The Blues are caught out short on defence and Sam Lousi powers over to score from close range.
Beauden Barrett nails the kick at goal to keep his record at 100 per cent for the night.
56 mins - BLUES 15 HURRICANES 21
PENALTY! Akira Ioane is penalised for taking out a Hurricanes player in the line-out. Nehe Milner-Skudder's night is over and he is replaced by Jordie Barrett. TJ Perenara has been amazing since coming on for the Canes, bringing in a big amount of energy to boost the Hurricanes' attack. He has had a few golden touches during his side's attack earlier on in the second half.
52 mins - BLUES 15 HURRICANES 21
TRY! Hurricanes fullback Nehe Milner-Skudder pops up down the left edge and the visitors have the home side scattering on defence. Milner-Skudder puts on a big left foot side step before touching down over the left hand corner.
Beauden Barrett fires the ball over the goal posts from the side-line.
49 mins - BLUES 15 HURRICANES 14
TRY! After an initial charging run from Akira Ioane it is Ofa Tu'ungafasi who finds his way over the try-line from close range for the Blues. He runs back to halfway confident he has scored.
Stephen Perofeta nails his shot at goal from out wide and the Blues retake the lead. TJ Perenara is on the field for the Canes and replaces Finlay Christie.
46 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
PENALTY! Hurricanes prop is penalised for a head high tackle on Augustine Pulu. He is lucky not to be sent to the bin. The Blues turn down an opportunity to kick at goal and kick the ball into touch.
45 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
DEFENCE! The Canes try to find a hole in the Blues' defence as they go side-line to side-line on attack and the Blues front up. James Parsons is the man who comes up wth the turnover stripping the ball off Hurricanes hooker Ricky Riccitelli.
43 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
PENALTY! And the Blues are penalised again for an infringement at the break down. The Hurricanes kick the ball into touch and they have a line-out feed at halfway.
40 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
And we are back! Hurricanes first-five Beauden Barrett kicks deep off the kick-off. Paul Williams takes over the officiating from Jaco Peyper who was the referee in the first half. He has handed the whistle on to the Kiwi ref. Seems like the South African ref wasn't feeling well enough to officiate the rest of the match.
HALFTIME - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
It has been a back and forthj battle here at Eden Park and the Blues have turned up to play. The Hurricanes' set piece has been causing trouble for the home side early on in the match with Ricky Riccitelli powering over to score the first try of the match.
Sonny Bill Williams has been instrumental on attack igniting the Blues' only try of the match with his trademark offload for Orbyn Leger to score. Gareth Evans scored the Hurricanes' second try with a sneaky tap and go from 10m out of the Blues' goal line in the 31st minute.
The Blues came up with a huge defensive effort to deny the Canes more point before the break.
40 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
DEFENCE! Brad Shields is penalised for detaching from the scrum early and the Blues get out of jail just before the break.
38 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
PENALTY! Murphy Taramai is again the man guilty of giving away a penalty with the referee ruling the Blues' openside coming in from the side of the ruck. Brad Shields turns down a shot at goal from easy range and opts for a scrum.
36 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
NO TRY! Ricky Riccitelli tries to nab his second try of the match off a line-out maul but the Hurricanes hooker has been held up over the try-line. The Canes have a scrum five metres out of the Blues goal line.
34 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
TURNOVER! Brad Shields comes up with a big tackle on Blues' Ross Wright and manages to get his mitts on the ball and the referee rules in his favour. A great play from the Canes skipper.
31 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
TRY! Murphy Taramai was penalised for coming in from the side and the Hurricanes' No.8 Gareth Evans catches the home side napping and opts for a quick tap and go 10m out. He gets under three Blues defenders and grounds the ball over the try-line.
The Hurricanes regain the lead and Beauden Barrett makes no mistake with the conversion.
30 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 7
PENALTY! The Blues are penalised for a late sack in the line-out and Beauden Barrett turns down points at goal and bangs the ball into touch.
26 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 7
TRY! Sonny Bill Williams runs back in the inside of Stephen Perofeta, SBW shows a bit of footwork at the line before delivering a brilliant offload for his midfield partner Orbyn Leger. Ledger crashes over to score and the Blues hit the front for the first time of the match.
Stephen Perofeta misses his shot at goal.
25 mins - BLUES 3 HURRICANES 7
Hurricanes lock Vaea Fifita has failed his head injury assessment. SBW comes up with a sneaky grubber kick down the right flank and Finlay Christie is forced to play at it and he carries over the touch-line.
22 mins - BLUES 3 HURRICANES 7
TURNOVER! Just as the Blues started to get some momentum on attack Ardie Savea spoils it for the home side with the Hurricanes' openside winning a penalty for his side. Ofa Tu'ungafasi made a nice run up the middle of the park but he didn't release the ball in time and the Canes get out of their red zone.
20 mins - BLUES 3 HURRICANES 7
FORWARD PASS! The Hurricanes try out a clever little set move with multiple runners in motion but the final pass from Beauden Barrett to Matt Proctor has been ruled to have gone forward.
17 mins - BLUES 3 HURRICANES 7
DEFENCE! Blues prop Ross Wright gets in under Brad Shields and the Hurricanes skipper loses the ball forward. The Blues have a defensive scrum five metres out of their own try-line.
16 mins - BLUES 3 HURRICANES 7
PENALTY! The Blues are penalised after Augustine Pulu head highs Hurricanes' fullback Nehe Milner-Skudder. Beauden Barrett looks to touch again and the Canes have a line-out 10m out from the Blues' try-line.
15 mins - BLUES 3 HURRICANES 7
THREE! Blues' young gun Stephen Perofeta bangs over the kick and the Blues are on the score-board.
13 mins - BLUES 0 HURRICANES 7
OFFSIDE! The Hurricanes need to be careful now after giving away four penalties in a row. They will be happy to see the home team choose to kick at goal as Augustine Pulu points to the sticks.
12 mins - BLUES 0 HURRICANES 7
HEAD KNOCK! Vaea Fifita has been taken off the pitch for a head injury assessment. Fifita is replaced by his Hurricanes teammate Michael Fatialofa.
9 mins - BLUES 0 HURRICANES 7
PENALTY! A little bit of niggle early on in the match with Sonny Bill Williams involved in a bit of push and shove with Hurricanes' Matt Proctor. SBW looked to want to play the ball quickly after Ben Lam went into touch but Proctor decided to slow things down and get in the way. The referee warns Hurricanes skipper Brad Shields about discipline and the Blues are awarded a penalty.
7 mins - BLUES 0 HURRICANES 7
TRY! The Blues opt to not compete in the line-out and the Hurricanes make them pay for their mistake. Taranaki native Ricky Riccitelli powers over to score after a well worked line-out drive from the Hurricanes.
Beauden Barrett lands the conversion from easy range.
5 mins - BLUES 0 HURRICANES 0
PENALTY! Jeff Toomaga-Allen gets a pat on the back from his Hurricanes teammates as the Canes are awarded a penalty after wheeling the scrum. Beauden Barrett turns down the points at goal and boots the ball into touch.
3 mins - BLUES 0 HURRICANES 0
SCRUM - The Blues' openside Murphy Taramai comes up with a spot tackle on Hurricanes prop Toby Smith just outside the Blues' 22 and Smith knocks the ball on. A crucial moment for the home side just as it looked like the visitors were getting a role on in attack.
1 min - BLUES 0 HURRICANES 0
Beauden Barrett's clearance kick is touched by Blues' Jerome Kaino and the Hurricanes have a lineout a few metres out of their own 22m line.
BLUES 0 HURRICANES 0
KICK-OFF!
And we are underway! Blues first-five gets things started with a deep kick-off to the Hurricanes.
PRE-MATCH:
The Blues are yet to win a game this season at Eden Park and have lost 15 straight games against New Zealand Super Rugby teams.
The visiting Hurricanes have been averaging about 33 points per game this season with the Blues averaging 25 points.
Sonny Bill Williams and Ofa Tu'ungafasi bolster the Blues side with TJ Perenara named on the Hurricanes bench, he returns from a knee injury he suffered last month against the Sharks.
Chris Boyd's Hurricanes sit second on the NZ conference ladder, two points behind leaders the Crusaders with the Blues lingering at the bottom.
The Canes have had a healthy record at Eden Park winning their last three fixtures there against the Blues and could be in line to hand the struggling Auckland franchise their 16th straight loss against a NZ team.
TEAMS:
Blues: 1. Ross Wright, 2. James Parsons, 3. Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 5. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 6. Jerome Kaino, 7. Murphy Taramai, 8. Akira Ioane, 9. Augustine Pulu (c), 10. Stephen Perofeta, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 13. Orbyn Leger, 14. Rieko Ioane, 15. Matt Duffie.
Reserves: 16. Matt Moulds, 17. Pauliasi Manu, 18. Sione Mafileo, 19. Ben Nee-Nee, 20. Kara Pryor, 21. Jonathan Ruru/Sam Nock, 22. Dan Kirkpatrick, 23. Melani Nanai.
Hurricanes: 1. Toby Smith, 2. Ricky Riccitelli, 3. Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 4. Vaea Fifita, 5. Sam Lousi, 6. Brad Shields (c), 7. Ardie Savea, 8. Gareth Evans, 9. Finlay Christie, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Ben Lam, 12. Ngani Laumape, 13. Matt Proctor, 14. Julian Savea, 15. Nehe Milner-Skudder.
Reservess: 16. James O'Reilly, 17. Chris Eves, 18. Ben May, 19. Michael Fatialofa, 20. Blade Thomson, 21. TJ Perenara, 22. Ihaia West, 23. Jordie Barrett.
12 mins - BLUES 0 HURRICANES 7
31 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
45 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
45 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
45 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
45 mins - BLUES 8 HURRICANES 14
66 mins - BLUES 15 HURRICANES 28
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