The Blues have held on to beat the Highlanders 27-24 in a thriller at Eden Park to register their third-straight Super Rugby Aotearoa win.
The hosts were rampant in the opening half, as wing Caleb Clarke - clearly emotional pre-game in the wake of his grandfather's just death days earlier - ran riot, scoring one try and setting up Rieko Ioane for another to send the Blues into the half with a 12-point lead.
With the game threatening to get away from them, the Highlanders swung the tide in the second half, using a forwards-based game to even the ledger and set up a grandstand finish, only to be denied by an outstanding late defensive stand by the Blues.
It was the precise sort of late-game effort where Blues sides of recent years would've capitulated. And the significance of the moment wasn't lost on the players, who were jubilant after stifling the last-gasp Highlanders rolling maul.
The victory consolidates the resurgent Blues' lead at the top of the competition standings, reamaining unbeaten through three rounds heading into their bye next week.
The Blues came out of the gates strongly, shifting their attack from sideline to sideline. Clarke cashed in on that early pressure, taking a short ball from a ruck and powering through the Highlanders defence to score the game's first try.
The visitors responded quickly, stringing together a patient passage of attack that ended with captain Ash Dixon driving over next to the posts from close range.
In the 23rd minute, debutant Scott Gregory found himself trapped near his corner flag, having his clearing kick charged down by Hoskins Sotutu for Dalton Papali'i to pounce on the scraps to dot down.
Clarke came to the fore again five minutes later, launching a scything attack from deep inside Blues territory, before linking with Rieko Ioane inside for the centre to accelerate 30m clear of the covering defence to extend the advantage to 22-10 at the interval.
The Highlanders needed to score first in the second half and they did precisely that, as Mitch Hunt stepped inside some weak defence after a powerful surge from Marino Mikaele Tu'u, sprinting 20m to dive in next to the posts.
Moments later, a try to Ngane Punivai was scratched, after the TMO discovered a fumble at an earlier ruck by Hunt.
But Rieko Ioane was pinged with some egregious offside play that saw him heading to the sin bin, and the Highlanders had their try in the ensuing movement courtesy of a powerful drive from 10m out by Shannon Frizell.
Just as the tide seemed to be turning, the 14-man Blues were able to strike back with a try of their own five metres later to regain the lead. A clinical lineout drive from five metres out ended with Dalton Papali'i breaking away to grab his second try of the night and put his side ahead by three points.
As they'd done all night, the Highlanders managed to manufacture another huge swing, with a counter attack from what a defensive stand on thir own line saw them back deep in Blues territory.
Hunt had a chance to tie the game with a 36m penalty shot on a slight angle but was unable to send it over the crossbar.
The Highlanders launched one last raid via a 5m lineout but the Blues defence was superb, with Sotutu at the centre to hold the ball up and win his side the final possession it needed to close out the contest.
Blues 27 (Caleb Clarke, Dalton Papalii (2), Rieko Ioane tries, Otere Black 2 cons, pen) Highlanders 24 (Ash Dixon, Mitch Hunt, Shannon Frizell tries, Hunt 3 cons, pen). HT: 22-10
