Winger Mark Telea has grabbed four tries to spark his Blues to a crucial 36-25 victory over the Hurricanes, as the archrivals scrambled for Super Rugby Pacific playoff home advantage.
Telea had a try double in each half, finally sealing victory with his fourth on the stroke of fulltime, as the Hurricanes finished strongly. Counterpart Kini Naholo has had a double in the final 10 minutes, but the visitors' challenge fell agonisingly short.
The result moves the Blues into third on the competition table, with highflying Aussies ACT Brumbies still to play this weekend, and gives them inside running for return to Eden Park for the quarter-finals in two weeks.
Jordie Barrett gave the Hurricanes an early lead with a penalty, but he had a forgettable night with the boot and certainly didn't help their bid for victory.
Telea had the first try of the match, when he took the ball from a close-range scrum and powered over in three tackles. No.8 Hoskins Sotutu stretched the lead and Telea secured his first-half double, when he scored under the crossbar from broken play.
Hurricanes halfback Cam Roigard kept the Hurricanes close, with a try before the break and they struck first after the restart, when centre Billy Proctor won the race for a kick ahead to score.
Telea secured a hattrick, when he recovered a loose ball near the tryline and ducked under a couple of tackles to score, but Naholo brought the Hurricanes within four points, after Ardie Savea detached from an attacking scrum and found his winger with a long pass.
The Blues seemed home and hosed, when second-five Bryce Heem broke the defence and sent midfield partner Rieko Ioane over, but Naholo's second - from another Blues mishandle - kept the contest alive.
When winger Caleb Clarke chased down the kickoff, the Blues had one more chance to clear away. Heem kicked ahead and three Hurricanes defenders were caught in quicksand, as Telea slid over for his fourth.
"I was on the edge of my seat, if I was watching, " said Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu."It went back and forth, and we let ourselves down with silly mistakes and giving them penalties over the ball.
"Very frustrating, but we have to take the win, however it comes."
The outcome leaves the Hurricanes secure in fifth, but now needing other results to go their way to salvage a home playoff. They face six-time defending champions Crusaders next Saturday, while the Blues host the Highlanders on Friday.
Blues 36 (Telea 4, Sotutu & R Ioane tries; Plummer 2 conversions, Perofeta conversion) Hurricanes 25 Roigard, Proctor & Naholo 2 tries; Barrett penalty & conversion
