The age-old NZ rugby rivalry between Auckland and Canterbury dates back decades, to a time when accusing someone of drinking lattes was perceived as a genuine insult.
In recent years, that tradition has morphed into Super Rugby and become a fairly one-sided affair, but the Blues' renaissance as genuine contenders in the NZ-only format has restored a bit of that 'grudge match' feel to Saturday's top-of-the-table clash down in Christchurch.
What better way to build to that blockbuster than revisiting some of their most memorable showdowns of yesteryear...
1985 Ranfurly Shield - Auckland 28 Canterbury 23
Remarkably, this instant classic is now 35 years old, but still sits as one of the finest examples of rugby parochialism - a true 'game of two halves'.
Canterbury held the sacred 'Log O' Wood' and needed just one more win to break Auckland's record of 25 consecutive defences, achieved by Fred Allen's 1960-63 side.
Playing at the red-and-black stronghold of Lancaster Park, Auckland took advantage of a significant wind to run in five first-half tries for a daunting 24-0 halftime lead, with Joe Stanley and John Kirwan running rampant.
Just as the match seemed destined for anti-climax, the locals - powered by a fervent crowd of 53,000 that threatened to spill over the sidelines and onto the field of play - turned the tide in the second half.
Four tries later, the Cantabraians were pressing the Auckland goal-line, desperate for the most unlikely of wins. In the dying seconds, Wayne Smith (yes, the future All Blacks coach) hoisted a bomb that held up in the in-goal, but a desperate defensive play saw the ball tapped dead to end the match.
Dubbed 'Match of the Century', the victory began an unrivalled period of Ranfurly Shield dominance for Auckland that lasted 61 matches over a span of eight years.
Auckland: 1-Steve McDowall, 2-Iain Abercrombie, 3-John Drake, 4-Andy Haden, 5-Gary Whetton, 6-Alan Whetton, 7-Mark Brooke-Cowden, 8-Glenn Rich, 9-David Kirk, 10-Grant Fox, 11-Terry Wright, 12-Kurt Sherlock, 13-Joe Stanley, 14-John Kirwan, 15-Lindsay Harris
Canterbury: 1-Murray Davie, 2-John Buchan, 3-Chris Earl, 4-Andy Earl, 5-Albert Anderson, 6-Don Hayes, 7-Jock Hobbs, 8-Dale Atkins, 9-Bruce Deans, 10-Wayne Smith, 11-Craig Green, 12-Warwick Taylor, 13-Victor Simpson, 14-Dennis Woods, 15-Robbie Deans
1998 Super Rugby Final - Canterbury Crusaders 20 Auckland Blues 13
Through the opening three years since its inception in 1996, the Blues were the dominant force in Super Rugby.
Stacked to the hilt with the cream of New Zealand rugby talent - including Jonah Lomu, Zinzan Brooke and Sean Fitzpatrick - the Auckland-based side had romped to consecutive titles in 1996 and 1997, going undefeated during the latter.
A three-peat in 1998 seemed almost a foregone conclusion, after they dropped just two games on their way to finishing atop the points standings.
The Crusaders were unlikely finalists, after starting their campaign with three losses from four games, but had pushed the Blues to within a point during their round-robin fixture, giving the squad plenty of belief as they took to Eden Park for the season finale.
The Blues were still heavily favoured and looked on their way to victory at 10-3 ahead with less than 30 minutes to play.
But a try to All Blacks lock Norm Maxwell set the stage for the most dramatic of finishes, with wing James Kerr chasing down an Andrew Mehrtens chip kick to score the winning try and give the Crusaders the first of their 10 Super Rugby titles so far.
Adding salt to the Blues' wounds, the dagger came from a player they had discarded just two years earlier.
Canterbury Crusaders: 1-Kevin Nepia, 2-Mark Hammett, 3-Stu Loe, 4-Norm Maxwell, 5-Reuben Thorne, 6-Todd Blackadder, 7-Scott Robertson, 8-Steve Surridge, 9-Aaron Flynn, 10-Andrew Mehrtens, 11-Norm Berryman, 12-Mark Mayerhofler, 13-Tabai Matson, 14-James Kerr, 15-Daryl Gibson
Auckland Blues: 1-Craid Dowd, 2-James Christian, 3-Olo Brown, 4-Royce Willis, 5-Robin Brooke, 6-Michael Jones, 7-Mark Carter, 8-Xavier Rush, 9-Ofisa Tonu'u, 10-Carlos Spencer, 11-Caleb Ralph, 12-Lee Stensness, 13-Eroni Clarke, 14-Joeli Vidiri, 15-Adrian Cashmore
2003 Super Rugby Final - Blues 21 Crusaders 17
The years after their early Super Rugby flourish hadn't been kind to the Blues.
After three consecutive finals appearances, the Aucklanders failed to make the playoffs over the next three seasons.
Their fortunes starkly contrasted those of the Crusaders, who had bolted to three titles in four years since their 1998 triumph, setting the foundation for the string of titles to come.
Fresh off an undefeated season in 2002, their staggering 15-game unbeaten streak was emphatically snapped by the Blues in the early stages of the 2003 campaign, with the northerners prevailing 39-5 at North Harbour Stadium.
That win proved to be a harbinger of things to come. After finishing first and second on the table respectively, the Blues and Crusaders would meet again in the final at Eden Park.
Trailing 10-6 at halftime, the Blues burst back into life in the second stanza. With 'King' Carlos Spencer dictating play off the boot, tries to Doug Howlett and Daniel Braid gave them an 11-point lead with 14 minutes remaining.
Their try-line under relentless assault, the Blues then put on a staunch defensive stand. As nails were gnawed away, Dan Carter, Chris Jack and Leon MacDonald were all held up in tackles over the line.
The southerners finally got there from a heads-up quick tap from Justin Marshall to feed Caleb Ralph, but it proved too little too late and the Blues were able to hold on for their third - and more recent - Super Rugby crown.
Blues: 1-Deacon Manu, 2-Keven Mealamu, 3-Kees Meeuws, 4-Angus MacDonald, 5-Ali Williams, 6-Justin Collins, 7-Daniel Braid, 8-Xavier Rush, 9-David Gibson, 10-Carlos Spencer, 11-Joe Rokocoko, 12-Sam Tuitupou, 13-Mils Muliaina, 14-Rico Gear, 15-Doug Howlett
Crusaders: 1-David Hewett, 2-Mark Hammett, 3-Greg Somerville, 4-Brad Thorn, 5-Chris Jack, 6-Reuben Thorne, 7-Richie McCaw, 8-Scott Robertson, 9-Justin Marshall, 10-Aaron Mauger, 11-Joe Maddock, 12-Dan Carter, 13-Caleb Ralph, 14-Marika Vunibaka, 15-Leon MacDonald
2017 Super Rugby - Crusaders 33 Blues 24
While this Round Four game may not have had the high stakes of others in this list, a comeback of this magnitude deserves recognition.
After a relatively long eight-year championship dry spell, the Crusaders launched into their 2017 campaign with renewed vigor, under new head coach Scott Robertson.
Immediately, they showed a different steel to the Crusaders, displaying their mettle by reeling off three consecutive comeback wins in the early rounds, both punctuated and highlighted by this remarkable effort against their archrivals.
Buoyed by a George Moala double, the Blues looked set to cruise home, leading 24-5 with less than 30 minutes to play.
Of course, the locals had other ideas. Undeterred by a daunting scoreboard, the Crusaders lifted their tempo to a level the flustered Blues couldn't match down the stretch.
The hosts looked to their forward pack, who worked their set-piece to perfection to help drive in four unanswered tries and steal a stunning 33-24 come-from-behind win.
Crusaders: 1-Joe Moody, 2-Codie Taylor, 3-Owen Franks, 4-Scott Barrett, 5-Sam Whitelock, 6-Jordan Taufua, 7-Jed Brown, 8-Whetu Douglas, 9-Bryn Hall, 10-Mitchell Hunt, 11-George Bridge, 12-Ryan Crotty, 13-Sean Wainui, 14-Manasa Mataele, 15-David Havili
Blues: 1-Pauliasi Manu, 2-James Parsons, 3-Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 4-Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 5-Patrick Tuipulotu, 6-Jimmy Tupou, 7-Blake Gibson, 8-Jerome Kaino, 9-Augustine Pulu, 10-Piers Francies, 11-Melani Nanai, 12-George Moala, 13-Rieko Ioane, 14-Matt Duffie, 15-Michael Collins
2018 Mitre 10 Cup Final - Auckland 40 Canterbury 33
The national provincial championship had almost become an annual red-and-black procession, with Canterbury lifting the trophy nine times over the previous decade.
But Auckland had finished top of the table at the end of the regular season, spurred by coach Alama Ieremia and the confidence that comes with winning nine of their 10 fixtures.
Eden Park opened its gates free of charge, the crowds poured in and the two sides delivered on the occasion with an absorbing and uber-intense contest.
With Auckland staring down the barrel of a 14-point deficit with just a quarter remaining, an all-too-familiar storyline seemed about to unfold.
But the hosts refused to roll over, roaring back to send the game into overtime, courtesy of a well-worked scrum move for Caleb Clarke to score and Harry Plummer, with ice in his veins, slotting a tricky conversion to tie the scores.
The teams traded tries in the first extra period and were locked at 33-33, before standout wing Melani Nanai broke down the right flank and found halfback Leon Fukofuka in support to clinch Auckland's first provincial title in 11 years.
Auckland: 1-Sam Prattley, 2-Robbie Abel, 3-Marcel Renata, 4-Faatiga Lemalu, 5-Michael Fatialofa, 6-Even Olmstead, 7-Adrian Choat, 8-Akira Ioane, 9-Jonathan Ruru, 10-Harry Plummer, 11-Salesi Rayasi, 12-TJ Faiane, 13-Tumua Manu, 14-Melani Nanai, 15-Jordan Trainor
Canterbury: 1-Alex Hodgman, 2-Nathan Vella, 3-Sef Faagase, 4-Luke Romano, 5-Mitchell Dunshea, 6-Reed Prinsep, 7-Billy Harmon, 8-Luke Whitelock, 9-Mitchell Drummond, 10-Brett Cameron, 11-Caleb Makene, 12-Phil Burleigh, 13-Braydon Ennor, 14-Josh McKay, 15-George Bridge
Join us at 7pm Saturday for live updates of the Crusaders v Blues Super Rugby Aotearoa clash
