Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea has dedicated his performance against the Blues - which included the game-winning try at the final hooter - to late All Blacks Inga Tuigamala and Joeli Vidiri.
The rugby community was hit hard this week after Tuigamala and Vidiri both died on Friday after a lifetime of being icons for the game and the Pacific.
Savea said the two sides honoured the late giants with their Super Rugby Pacific epic on Saturday night.
“First and foremost, I’m sending my love and condolences to both families and the rugby community,” Savea said.
“They are legends in the game. To hear the news is pretty heart-wrenching for many people. It's pretty sad, but we're sending our love to the families.
“It's awesome to be out here, and play some footy and honour them.”
Blues coach Leon MacDonald also paid tribute to the pair.
“We wore black armbands in respect,” MacDonald said.
“Joeli features in a lot of the videos we play when we look back at some of the Blues legends of the past.
“Inga is a little bit earlier, but I used to watch a lot of Inga growing up and he was always a smiling assassin really. It’s a really sad day for the families of those two men and rugby.”
The Hurricanes pulled off a stunning 33-32 comeback win over the Blues after scoring twice in the final three minutes of the game.
Asked if he ever thought the match was out of reach, given the Hurricanes trailed the Blues for most of the evening, Savea denied such negativity.
“I've been in many of those situations before with the Canes and the ABs, and it's just learning to stay calm in those situations, and being able to bring the boys in and focus on the next task, and doing it with intent.”
Savea added scoring the game-winner was a blur of a moment though.
"To be honest mate, I just pinned my ears back and just ran.”
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