The Hurricanes have sent a message to the rest of the competition with a 64-12 thumping of Moana Pasifika.
e win locks up their spot in fourth as they book their place in a qualifying final with the ACT Brumbies next Saturday.
It also ensures the Blues qualify for the finals following their earlier win over the NSW Waratahs.
Moana Pasifika needed a bonus point win to leap the Blues and started the game perfectly through number eight Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa.
The back-rower was there to capitalise on a Solomon Alaimalo intercept for the opening points of the night.
However, this is where the Hurricanes kicked into life and delivered a commanding first half performance.
Hooker Jacob Devery dived over from a rolling maul, followed over by a lovely chip and chase from flanker Devan Flanders to give them the lead.
Former Hurricane Ardie Savea was everywhere in defence, trying to keep the visitors in the game.
But Cam Roigard’s intercept broke Moana Pasifika as the scrumhalf races away for the try.
A special solo effort from Peter Umaga-Jensen gave the hosts a commanding 26-7 lead heading into the break.
Umaga-Jensen’s second sealed the victory as the hosts’ replacement forwards got in on the fun.
Raymon Tuputupu and Pouri Rakete-Stones both scored in the big victory as the Hurricanes cruised away with the win.
Savea crossed for the visitors but he was unable to stop the powerful Hurricanes performance as Billy Proctor brought up the half-century.
Former Moana Pasifika half Ere Enari capped off the big win with a late try against his old side, before debutant Tjay Clarke got a debut five-pointer with the final touch of the game.
Hurricanes 64 (Tries: Devery, Flanders, Roigard, Umaga-Jensen 2, Tuputupu, Rakete-Stones, Proctor, Enari, Clarke; Cons: Love 7) def Moana Pasifika 12 (Tries: Tupou Ta’eiloa, A. Savea; Cons: Pellegrini)
NSW Waratahs’ season of promise has ended in despair with an ugly, record-breaking 46-6 Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Blues in Auckland.
The Waratahs needed to defeat the defending champions for the first time at Eden Park in 16 years to keep their finals hopes alive.
Instead, Dan McKellar’s depleted side copped a seven-tries-to-nil drubbing at New Zealand rugby’s burial ground on Saturday.
For the opening half an hour, a famous victory looked possible – until the wheels fell off in a sorry, anticlimactic conclusion to what had been the Waratahs’ best start to a Super campaign since 2009.
But a disastrous, coach-killing four-minute lapse before the interval ultimately cruelled the dreamy visitors before the Blues ran amok with four tries in a second-half clinic.
Despite being without injured stars Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Max Jorgensen, skipper Jake Gordon and flankers Rob Leota and Charlie Gamble, the Waratahs were right in the must-win game for both sides after rookie flyhalf Jack Bowen slotted a 34th-minute penalty goal to reduce the deficit to four points.
Playing with spirit, as they should with their season on the line, the Tahs had winger Andrew Kellaway and rookie scrumhalf Teddy Wilson to thank for desperate try-saving tackles to stay in the contest.
But a Bowen blunder, when he slipped and failed to find touch for a clearing kick, and a touch of magic from two-time world player of the player Beauden Barrett blew the game wide open for the Blues in a twinkling.
Two tries in three minutes to brilliant centre Rieko Ioane, the second after the halftime siren when Waratahs opposite Henry O’Donnell couldn’t handle a probing kick from Barrett near halfway, suddenly extended the Blues’ tenuous lead from 10-6 to 24-6.
There was no coming back for the Waratahs when fullback Corey Evans strolled over untouched shortly after the break to extend the Blues’ lead to 31-6.
The Blues’ sixth try, to hooker Ricky Riccitelli, was more than academic.
It virtually secured a precious bonus point to pile the pressure on Moana Pasifika to produce a similar victory later on Saturday against the Hurricanes in Wellington to deny Vern Cotter’s side a place in the finals.
The hosts’ seventh five-pointer was more significant to Ioane, who equalled All Blacks great Doug Howlett’s Blues try-scoring record with 55 after beating three Waratahs defenders to another menacing Barrett kick.
The Blues’ biggest-ever victory margin over the Waratahs did not look likely when Bowen’s two first-half penalties almost wiped out Mark Tele’a’s 11th-minute try and then Ioane’s first strike off a deft AJ Lam grubber.
But an hour later and the Blues were anxiously awaiting their finals fate, needing the fourth-placed Hurricanes to deny Moana an unlikely bonus-point triumph away in the NZ capital to push the title-holders through to the play-offs.
Blues 46 (Tries: Ioane 3, Tele’a 2, Riccitelli, Evans; Cons: Barrett 4; Pens: Plummer) def Waratahs 6 (Pens: Bowen 2)
The ACT Brumbies have seen their Canberra fortress raided by the Crusaders, who snatched a top two spot on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder in a thrilling final round clash.
While the Chiefs locked down the No.1 ranking with a win over the Highlanders earlier on Friday night, the Brumbies and Crusaders met in a battle for second position with the Kiwi outfit victorious, 33-31.
The visitors hit the front in the 76th minute with reserve hooker George Bell peeling off a maul to dive over.
His try came after referee James Doleman missed an appartant knock-on by Sevu Reece in the previous play.
With little more than a minute to play it looked like Brumbies winger Corey Toole might put his side back in the lead as he pin-balled through the defence, but Scott Barrett dislodged the ball from his arms three metres from the tryline.
The third-placed Brumbies, the top-ranked Australian side, will now host the team that finishes fourth – the Hurricanes or Queensland – in the qualifying finals next weekend.
By finishing in the top two the Crusaders are now guaranteed to host a home semi-final provided they win next week.
The Brumbies trailed 25-14 at halftime with the Crusaders dominant in every aspect, with their line-speed in defence and physicality at the breakdown causing the home side headaches.
But the Brumbies started the second half with intent, with prop Rhys Van Nek burrowing across.
The Brumbies then set up a heart-stopping finish when they drew level at 28-28 with their opponents after Noah Lolesio converted a try by Andy Muirhead in the 56th minute.
After some quick hands Muirhead still had plenty of work to do but the winger showed his will to drag three defenders across the line.
A penalty strike by Lolesio then put his team ahead with eight minutes to play but the Crusaders – the most successful team in the competition’s history with 14 titles – wouldn’t be denied.
Crusaders 33 (Tries: Lio-Willie, Bell, Blackadder, Reihana; Cons: Reihana 2; Pens: Reihana 2; Drop Goal: Reece) def ACT Brumbies 31 (Tries: Fotuaika, van Nek, Muirhead, Ikitau; Cons: Lolesio 4; Pens: Lolesio)
