The Blues have avoided the biggest upset of this year's Super Rugby Pacific season, needing a last-second penalty try to defeat Moana Pasifika 31-30 at Eden Park.
Down by six with time already up, the Blues were awarded a penalty try from a scrum against 13 men, with Moana Pasifika shown two yellow cards inside the final 10 minutes.
Regardless of how narrow, the victory was crucial for the Blues, seeing them leapfrog the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Brumbies into second place on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder, sitting behind only the competition-leading Chiefs.
Meanwhile, Moana Pasifika remain winless after their first 10 games of 2023, as the only side in the competition to not taste victory so far this season.
After Moana Pasifika took a 3-0 lead through the boot of Christian Lealiifano, Akira Ioane took the first half by the scruff of the neck for the Blues.
Making his first start since returning from an injury suffered in the first week of the season, Ioane scored the first try of the night, picking and going from close to the line.
A quick-thinking bit of play at the lineout saw the Blues score their second, when captain Dalton Papali'i sent hooker Kurt Eklund down the left touchline, going over Moana Pasifika halfback Ereatara Enari to cross over.
Ioane turned from scorer to provider for the Blues' third, putting Caleb Clarke into a gap for the third try of the night, as the home side went 17-3 up on the half-hour mark.
But even without a win this season, Moana Pasifika showed they weren't going to play easybeats at Eden Park.
With time all but up in the first half, a quick tap and go from a penalty saw winger Timoci Tavatavanawai score Moana Pasifika's first try, before Abraham Pole scored in the corner from a lineout drive with the final act of the opening 40 minutes.
Only a missed kick from Christian Lealiifano preserved the Blues' lead, going into halftime ahead 17-13.
Whatever Moana Pasifika coach Aaron Mauger said at halftime, though, clearly worked for his side, coming out as the better team after the break.
As Blues prop Marcel Renata was shown a yellow card, Moana Pasifika capitalised when Lealiifano scored, and converted his own try to earn the lead for the first time on the night at 22-17.
The Blues responded in turn before the hour mark, when a Harry Plummer kick freed Clarke down the left wing, leading to lock Sam Darry working his way over, as the lead see-sawed between both sides.
Another penalty, this time to D'Angelo Leuila, restored Moana Pasifika's lead, before replacement winger Fine Inisi pushed the scores out to 30-24, leaving the Blues staring at their fourth defeat of the season.
However, Leuila couldn't add the extras with the boot, and gave the Blues the chance to snatch victory with a converted try.
As the hosts attacked Moana Pasifika's line for the final 10 minutes, both captain Solomone Funaki and lock Michael Curry were both shown yellow cards for repeated infringements, as the 13-men wilted against the Blues' scrum.
And playing on after the siren, the Blues' persistence paid off, as the penalty try gave them the automatic seven points needed to scrape home by the barest of margins.
The Blues' performance, though, will come as a sight for their next opponents - the Crusaders - with both sides to meet in Christchurch next Saturday night.
Victory for Moana Pasifika would have been the second of the day for Super Rugby's newest sides, after Fijian Drua stunned the Hurricanes in Suva.
Moana Pasifika will look to make it back-to-back defeats against the Hurricanes, when they head to Wellington next weekend.
Blues 31 (A.Ioane, Eklund, Clarke, Darry, penalty tries; Plummer, Sullivan conversions)
Moana Pasifika 30 (Tavatavanawai, Pole, Lealiifano, Inisi tries; Lealiifano 2 conversions; Lealiifano, Leuila penalties)
