Eight years hold on the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy was ended by the Blues when taking a crucial bonus point 32-21 win over the Highlanders in Dunedin on Sunday.
Always dominant, the Blues made the most of the try-scoring chances they built and then utilised their defence to achieve their first win at Forsyth Barr Stadium, the win being their first in Dunedin since 2011.
Halfback Finlay Christie demonstrated why he has made such an impression on the Blues selection panel with an outstanding example of the skills of support play. He was in every crucial move the Blues unleashed, scoring twice himself and playing a leading role in other tries.
Backing him in the tighter exchanges was No 8 Akira Ioane who produced another strong game with ball in hand, capitalising on opportunities off the back of a dominant Blues scrum.
But again the refereeing imposed itself on the contest. Considering they are supposed to be the anonymous 31stman on the field but they have had been far too obvious in the tournament.
Mike Fraser added another ruling to the list of examples in a debateable decision, to put it kindly.
Having indoctrinated players for years to avoid interfering in opposing teams' clearance of the ball when retreating, prop Karl Tu'inukuafe went to ground to get out of halfback Aaron Smith's way. Smith, who could have cleared the ball, fell over the prop and in the resulting play Blues flanker Dalton Papalii picked off an intercept and ran 60m to score.
However, after an on-field try was called, Fraser changed his mind and claimed Tu'inukuafe's action affected the play and he was therefore off-side.
Yet, in every game players have run blocking lines with impunity to prevent opposing players lining up tackles, most often in front of the ball, and off-side. The notion of it being an offence to play the man without the ball appears to be as redundant as refereeing anonymity.
It is a shame that rather than being remembered for the intensity and quality of play Super Rugby Aotearoa is in danger of being remembered for the refereeing foul-ups.
The Blues did make a powerful start with consecutive tries within the first 10 minutes; the first to Akira Ioane from a five-metre scrum when an earlier try to hooker Kurt Eklund was denied as somehow Smith managed to get a foot under the ball, and the second after a mid-field turnover which resulted in first five-eighths Beauden Barrett putting in a cross-kick to left wing Caleb Clarke.
He took the ball, bumped off first five-eighths Josh Ioane, linked with centre Rieko Ioane who then found halfback Finlay Christie out on the flank in support to score the try.
A Highlanders lineout drive from a penalty choice saw hooker Ash Dixon score.
Penalties through the middle stages of the half allowed Ioane to kick three penalty goals for the Highlanders but in each case the Blues responded quickly.
Following the denial of Papalii's intercept try, and the subsequent penalty goal, it was second five-eighths TJ Faiane who scored after a break in midfield by Clarke which again saw Christie taking play forward before he passed inside to Faiane to score.
Then just before the half, Ioane off the back of a five-metre scrum took the play to the line where tighthead prop Ofa Tuungafasi drove over for the Blues' third try.
Two minutes into the second half, Christie scored his second after the home team turned over a Barrett bomb and saw Barrett fling a long ball to the left flank where Lamborn took the ball, fed inside to Clarke who in turn found the ever-present Christie to score the try.
The Highlanders mounted a strong final quarter winning a host of penalties from the Blues' defence, with replacement prop Sione Mafileo earning 10 minutes in the bin during which time the Highlanders finally got over the line via a strong drive by outstanding loose forward Shannon Frizell, one of the Highlanders' best.
Scorers: Highlanders 21 (Ash Dixon, Shannon Frizell tries; Josh Ioane con, 3 pen) Blues 32 ( Akira Ioane, Finlay Christie 2, TJ Faiane, Ofa Tuungafasi tries; Beauden Barrett 2 con, pen). HT: 24-16
Yellow cards: Sione Mafileo 72mins
The teams are:
Highlanders: 1.Ayden Johnstone (replaced by Ethan de Groot, 67mins), 2.Ash Dixon (captain – replaced by Liam Coltman, 57mins), 3.Jeff Thwaites (replaced by Siate Tokolahi, 51 mins), 4.Pari Pari Parkinson, 5.Jack Whetton (replaced by Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 51mins), 6.Shannon Frizell, 7.Dillon Hunt (replaced by Jesse Parete, 67mins), 8.Marino Mikaea-Tu'u, 9.Aaron Smith (replaced by Folau Fakatava, 72mins), 10.Josh Ioane, 11.Scott Gregory (replaced by Jona Nareki, 57 mins), 12.Patelesio Tomkinson, 13.Michael Collins, 14.Josh McKay, 15.Mitch Hunt.
Substitutes not used: 22.Bryn Gatland.
Blues: 1.Karl Tu'inukuafe (replaced by Alex Hodgman, 52mins), 2.Kurt Eklund (replaced by Luteru Tolai, 72 mins), 3.Ofa Tuungafasi (replaced by Sione Mafileo, 65mins), 4.Patrick Tuipulotu (captain – replaced by Jacob Pierce, 64 mins)), 5.Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 6.Dalton Papalii (replaced by Aaron Carroll, 47 mins), 7.Tony Lamborn, 8.Akira Ioane, 9.Finlay Christie (replaced by Sam Nock, 65 mins), 10.Beauden Barrett (replaced by Harry Plummer, 72 mins), 11.Caleb Clarke, 12.TJ Faiane, 13.Rieko Ioane, 14.Mark Telea (replaced by Otere Black, 60mins), 15.Matt Duffie.
Referee: Mike Fraser