Eden Park packed for Beauden Barrett’s winning debut for Blues

The Blues, featuring their blue-chip signing Beauden Barrett for the first time, overran the Hurricanes at a packed Eden Park.

Beauden Barrett of the Blues signs autographs and poses for photos after the Round 1 Super Rugby Aotearoa match against the Hurricanes at Eden Park. Picture: Getty Images

The Blues, featuring their blue-chip signing Beauden Barrett for the first time, overran the Hurricanes 30-20 on Sunday as the return of live sport in New Zealand drew a full house to Auckland’s Eden Park.

More than 43,000 packed the ground in the largest turnout at a Super Rugby match in New Zealand for 15 years, as fans starved of professional sport for three months celebrated the return of an unfettered contest less than a week after the country declared itself free of COVID-19.

Super Rugby returns! Watch every game of Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU Live & On-Demand on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly

The pre-match talking point was the maiden appearance for the Blues of former Hurricane stalwart Barrett, a two-time World Player of the year.

The Blues were further bolstered by the appearance of All Blacks and Crusaders legend Dan Carter offering guidance from the sideline.

But it was the Blues pack that earned the plaudits, bossing the Hurricanes in the fast-paced match, while Otere Black, who wore the coveted 10 jersey with Barrett playing at fullback, put on a solid display of kicking.

While Black scored 15 points off the boot, Barrett’s performance was notable for a missed tackle that let Dane Coles in for a try.

“My eyes lit up when I saw him,” Coles said while Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu said it was Barrett’s “composure” that made a significant contribution to the victory.

The Blues, underperformers for several seasons, have a history of strong starts and poor finishes, but in the revamped New Zealand version of Super Rugby the addition of Barrett should strengthen the Auckland side’s cause.

The Hurricanes started strongest and were up 3-0 after a Jackson Garden-Bachop penalty in the ninth minute.

When the Blues responded with a try to Caleb Clarke, converted by Black, the Hurricanes immediately regained the lead with Coles, stationed on the wing, smashing through Barrett’s attempted tackle to score in the corner and celebrating by cheekily ruffling his former teammates’ hair.

A try to TJ Faiane converted by Black and one to the Hurricanes by Ben Lam saw the Blues turn with a narrow 14-13 lead.

The Blues dominated the second half with an early try to Dalton Papalii while Black added a conversion and three penalties before Jamie Booth scored a consolation try for the Hurricanes just before fulltime.

AFP