BLUES SEASON ENDS WITH SEMI FINAL LOSS TO CANES

The Blues’ 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign came to an end on Saturday night, falling 57-21 to the Hurricanes in Wellington.

After taking the fight to the competition’s top-ranked side for much of the opening half, the Blues held a narrow lead midway through the first 40 minutes.

But a powerful second half performance from the Hurricanes proved decisive as the hosts advanced to next week's Grand Final.

The Hurricanes struck first through halfback Cam Roigard in the opening minute before Jordie Barrett extended the home side's advantage shortly after.

The Blues responded strongly.

A trademark burst from Caleb Clarke broke the Hurricanes defensive line and set the platform for captain Patrick Tuipulotu to crash over from close range, bringing the visitors back into the contest.

Despite losing both AJ Lam and Clarke to head injury assessments, the Blues continued to show resilience.

Replacement halfback Payton Spencer made an immediate impact, creating space with a clever kick ahead before backing up brilliantly to score and give his side the lead.

The Hurricanes regained momentum through tries to Du'Plessis Kirifi and Xavier Numia, taking a 19-14 advantage into the halftime break, but the match remained finely balanced after an entertaining opening period.

The home side found another gear after the interval, capitalising on their opportunities to score a succession of tries and build scoreboard pressure.

Roigard crossed for his second shortly after halftime before Josh Moorby, Asafo Aumua, Ere Enari and Kini Naholo all added further scores as the Hurricanes extended their lead.

The Blues continued to battle throughout and were rewarded late when replacement hooker Eli Oudenryn powered over for a well-earned try.

Blues 21: (Tries: Tuipulotu, Spencer, Oudenryn; Cons: B. Barrett 3)
Hurricanes 57: (Tries: Moorby 2, J. Barrett, Numia, Kirifi, Aumua, Enari, Naholo, Roigard; Cons: Love 3, J. Barrett 3)