The Hurricanes have crashed the Roger Tuivasa-Sheck welcoming party by stealing a one-point win over the Blues with two tries in the final minutes of the game.
Tuivasa-Sheck made his long-awaited return to rugby union after a stellar career in the NRL and was quick to show off the skills he has attained in the 13-a-side code.
Starting in the No.12 jersey, Tuivasa-Sheck broke two tackles with his first touch of the ball and followed it up soon after with an offload to midfield partner Rieko Ioane that saw the Blues go inches short of the try line in the fourth minute.
While they didn't cross the line then, Harry Plummer did put the Auckland side in front with an early penalty.
The lead didn't last long though with the Blues' overabundance of possession going on to hurt them as Salesi Rayasi pounced on a floated pass for an easy interception and runaway try.
The Blues didn't let the error hurt their momentum though as they responded with two tries of their own through Kurt Eklund and Caleb Clarke.
The Hurricanes wouldn't be outdone though with Bailyn Sullivan threading a grubber behind the Blues' defence to set up a diving Wes Goosen to score.
The Blues would have the last laugh though as again their maul set up Eklund for a second try in the 38th minute, giving them a 24-14 lead at the break.
An early Plummer penalty saw the Blues extend that lead to start the second half before the two sides got locked in a battle for territory without any scoring.
The match slowly devolved into a messy affair with changes and early season fatigue leading to handling errors emerging from both sides, stifling multiple attacking chances.
With 15 minutes to go and the score still 27-14, the Blues looked to seal the match after Marcel Renata broke the line off the back of a lengthy string of phases.
Renata was taken down just short but three phases later replacement Sam Darry managed to find the line.
As they had all game the Hurricanes managed to reply soon after with a penalty on halfway getting the Wellington side into a position to strike and Rayasi converting with his second try of the match, leaving the score 32-21 with nine minutes to play.
The try appeared to spark some hope in the Hurricanes as the launched another attack shortly after the restart, storming into the Blues' 22m with a run by Asafo Aumua down the left wing.
While the initial attack faltered, the Hurricanes return moments later and pulled the match to within one try after a superb finish from Rayasi for his hat-trick.
The conversion afterwards from the left sideline was off the post though, meaning the Hurricanes needed a converted try to steal the match at 32-26 with two minutes to go.
It proved to be enough.
A linebreak by Sullivan moments after the restart on halfway was finished off by Ardie Savea under the posts, allowing the Hurricanes to take the lead as the final hooter went.
It wasn't without drama though, as the referees had to go upstairs to confirm the final conversion from right in front did indeed go over.
Regardless, it did and the Hurricanes finished their time in the Super Rugby bubble with a win.
SHARE ME