The Blues have issued a call for more afternoon rugby, after their heavyweight clash with the Hurricanes played out as one of the most thrilling contests of the Super Rugby Pacific season to date.
In a contest with constant momentum shifts, the hosts withstood a late tryline assault from the 'Canes to cement a 31-27 win and usurp the men from the capital atop of the competition standings with just a few rounds to play.
In the highest-attended game of the year, almost 26,000 fans flocked to Aotearoa's spiritual home of rugby on a crisp and clear late autumn afternoon in Auckland, and both teams rose to the occasion, delivering another emphatic advertisement for the much family-friendlier kickoff time of 4:30pm, as opposed to the TV-friendlier 7pm.
Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu was clearly taken aback by the "special" atmosphere at 'The Garden' and has made it clear he wants to see the schedule packed with more earlier starts.
"It was awesome," he said. "We couldn't really hear ourselves speak, when we come into a huddle a few times there.
"Awesome time to play a game. Awesome weather, despite the cold.
"Hopefully, we get that ball rolling and we can have it more, because we certainly felt that energy and it felt like the crowd enjoyed it, too.
"A real positive there."
Broadcasters dictate the traditional 7pm kickoff, which is a primetime slot for TV viewing and also better caters for the northern hemisphere audience.
Coach Vern Cotter echoes his skipper's sentiments, admitting he was taken with a touch of nostalgia by the post-match scenes, with fans flocking on to the pitch to greet their heroes.
"I really loved the end of the game, when the players stayed on the field and the supporters came out, and they were just surrounded," he said. "It was deep too, it wasn't just one layer - it was 3-4 layers of people in behind that little rope set up.
"I've really enjoyed seeing the players spend time with those people, you know, family and friends and people that are genuinely supporting.
"Keep bringing that on. It's great."
Such scenes were much easier for Cotter to digest than the highly physical, highly skilled and highly tense contest taking place moments earlier.
"I didn't do a lot of breathing in that last 10 minutes, I'm going to be honest," he laughed.
In a match laden with punch and counterpunch, Cotter says his team's improved discipline through the second half laid the foundation for the win - a sign he hopes his players heed for the rest of their campaign.
"I love that game, because it's just a clear picture on what we need to do to get right," he noted.
"It was just so evident that we let them into the game. Every time we scored, we couldn't exit and we gave away a penalty.
"Then, with their entries in the 22m, they're such an efficient team at scoring. That's probably why, at the end of the game, they don't score to get the win... and our boys dug in and nailed.
"I thought that was pretty important for us to reinforce going forward, but the analysis and feedback on Monday morning is going to be pretty simple. The really good thing about that is everybody is saying the same thing.
"There's not one player that's saying something different, they're all aligned."
Tuipulotu admits the game was the toughest of the season so far, particularly in the physicality stakes, which the 43-cap All Black says rivalled test-match intensity.
His team's mental focus pleased him most.
"Physically, probably the hardest game to date," he said. "Trying to get the ball carry in and you're getting some good shoulders on you - you definitely feel it.
"Then, just because they are close to us, you saw the seesaw and that was a real test for us mentally, just to stay in it and stay focused on that, try to get one up, each time.
"That in itself is quite hard to do on a team level."
The Blues now host the Highlanders next Saturday at 7pm, when it will be intriguing to see what kind of comparative attendance they get at Eden Park.
