Hurricanes blitz Blues in second half to book home Super Rugby Pacific final

Saturday, 13 June 2026

The Hurricanes secured their spot in the final against the Chiefs after a relentless second-half point blitz blew past an outclassed Blues side in Wellington.

The Blues suffered two major first-half blows when backline stars AJ Lam and Caleb Clarke were forced off for head injury assessments (HIAs) and failed the tests.

Flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi dominated the breakdown for the hosts, while hooker Asafo Aumua highlighted the second-half surge by running over Stephen Perofeta for a barnstorming try.

The defeat marks the end of Vern Cotter's tenure as Blues coach, with Hurricanes assistant Jason Holland set to take over the Auckland hot seat next year.

At Hnry Stadium, Wellington: Hurricanes 57 (Jordie Barrett try 3min, Du’Plessis Kirifri try 14min, Xavier Numia try 31min, Cam Roigard try 42min, Josh Moorby (2) tries 47min, 80min, Asafo Aumua try 52min, Ereatara Enari try 64min, Kini Naholo try 73min; Ruben Love 3 con, Jordie Barrett 2 con) Blues 21 (Patrick Tuipulotu try 7min, Payton Spencer 26min, Eli Oudenryn try 76min; Beauden Barrett 2 con) HT: 19-14.

The Hurricanes have booked a spot in the final against the Chiefs after a three-try burst in the third quarter and a standout performance by Du’Plessis Kirifi proved too much for an outclassed Blues side.

The Aucklanders stumbled into the semifinals after four straight losses and widespread criticism of the “lucky loser” concept ringing in their ears, but they responded with a defiant first-half performance.

The Blues trailed by just 19-14 at halftime, but the Hurricanes scored through Cam Roigard, Josh Moorby and Asafo Aumua in the 20 minutes after the break to open up a game-winning lead.

Aumua’s barnstorming try down the left edge put an exclamation mark on the Hurricanes’ superiority as he brushed off Blues flanker Torian Barnes and ran over No 10 Stephen Perofeta.

The rampant Hurricanes rubbed salt in the Blues’ wounds with further tries to Ereatara Enari, Kini Naholo and Josh Moorby as their bench made a major impact.

The Blues’ loss marks the end of Vern Cotter’s tenure, with Hurricanes assistant coach Jason Holland stepping into the hot seat in Auckland next year.

Holland has one last job to do in Wellington, and the final against the Chiefs will clearly be a contest between the two best sides in the competition.

Roared on by a 25,000-strong crowd, the Hurricanes looked relentless in the second half as Jordie Barrett also stamped his authority on the game.

It was a different story in the first half. The two sides traded blows inside the first 10 minutes, with Blues lock Patrick Tuipulotu charging over from a nice Finlay Christie pass to respond to Barrett’s opening try for the Hurricanes.

The breakdown battle was intense in the early stages as the contest initially proved far more even than the Chiefs’ one-sided victory over the Crusaders on Friday.

But the Blues suffered two huge injury blows as No 13 AJ Lam and All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke were both called to the sidelines for HIAs - much to their confusion - and both failed those tests.

Payton Spencer replaced Clarke and immediately made his presence felt by scoring a clever try, but Lam and Clarke’s misfortune robbed the Blues of much-needed experience in the backline.

As the first half unfolded the Hurricanes edged ahead after a powerful carry over the line by in-form prop Xavier Numia, who burst through a tackle attempt by Sam Darry to put the Hurricanes into a 19-14 lead.

However, they certainly didn’t have things their own way against a fired-up Blues side and star winger Fehi Fineanganofo was largely a spectator for the opening 40 minutes.

Young Blues Barnes and Xavi Taele were impressive as Hurricanes No 10 Ruben Love struggled to impose himself.

Barnes, in particular, sent a late-season message to the All Blacks selectors that he is a hard-nosed loose forward on the rise, repeatedly carrying over the advantage line.

By contrast, Love was guilty of a few errors and most of the Hurricanes’ attacking spark came from Cam Roigard. Love was replaced after 51 minutes, but did not appear to be injured.

The Hurricanes’ defence, however, largely stood tall against a desperate Blues side.

Flanker Kirifi was a menace at almost every ruck, winning turnovers and slowing down the Blues’ ball.

It was a much-needed performance from the captain and allowed the Hurricanes to reset during the halftime break.

After some words of wisdom from their coaches, the Hurricanes unleashed their attacking game in the second half and also punished the Blues with their counter-rucking.