After a COVID-enforced delay, the Blues have begun their time in Super Rugby Aupiki with victory, defeating Matatū 21-10 at Hamilton in their first competitive outing.
Following the cancellation of what was supposed to be their first match, against Hurricanes Poua last week, the Blues made up for lost time by outplaying Matatū, condemning the South Island outfit to a second straight defeat.
The result also leaves the Blues as the only team capable of challenging Chiefs Manawa for the inaugural title - with both sides to meet in an effective decider on Sunday.
The Blues now sit second on the Super Rugby Aupiki ladder, with one win and split points from their cancellation against the Hurricanes Poua. Chiefs Manawa lead the competition after two games played, with victories over Matatū and Hurricanes Poua.
After Matatū took the lead in the first half through a penalty to Olivia McGoverne, it took the Blues right until the final seconds before halftime to hit back.
From the back of a lineout the Blues built towards the Matatū 5m line, before prop Krystal Murray broke through the defence to score under the posts for her side's maiden Super Rugby Aupiki try - and points of any kind.
A successful conversion from Patricia Malipeo right before the break gave the Blues a 7-3 lead from the low-scoring first half.
And after taking the scoring momentum into the break, the Blues picked up where they'd left off once the second half began.
An offload from Aldora Itunu put Mele Hufanga into a gap, with the substitute racing away from just inside Matatū's 10m line to score the Blues' second of the night.
Needing victory to keep their faint hopes of the Super Rugby Aupiki title alive, Matatū hit back through winger Martha Mataele, on hand to crash her way over after a quick tap from a penalty, with McGoverne's conversion bringing the scores back to 14-10.
But entering the final 10 minutes, the Blues landed a telling blow when loose forward Shannon Leota exchanged passes with reserve back Sam Curtis on the right flank, and added her side's third try - and left Matatū needing to score twice for victory.
The only blemish on the Blues' performance came in the dying seconds, when Black Ferns Sevens star Tyla Nathan-Wong was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knockdown, seeing her side finish the game with just 14.
The inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki will finish on Sunday, as the unbeaten Blues and Chiefs Manawa face off for the title, while Matatū meet Hurricanes Poua as both sides look for their first win.
Blues 21 (Murray 34', Hufanga 38', Leota 61' tries; Maliepo 35', 39', Cotrell 62' conversions)
Matatū 10 (Mataele 44' try; McGoverne 45' conversion; McGoverne 6' penalty)
