Hurricanes v Blues Semi-Final Stat Attack

Asafo Aumua added his name to the list of try scorers in the win over the against the Blues. He now has 19 in 89 matches. It was his 5th against the Blues, a record for him against another side, one more than his four against the Chiefs.

• By Peter Marriott

Semi-Final v Blues: Won 57-21

Amazingly, the Hurricanes and the Blues had never before met in finals matches although the Hurricanes had previously met nine different sides including all the other New Zealand franchises: the Chiefs (four times), the Crusaders (six times) and the Highlanders once. They have, however, played the Brumbies a record seven times.

This was the Hurricanes 13th Semi-Final match but just the fourth they have won. The earlier three wins were all at home in Wellington: 16-14 against the Waratahs in 2006, 29-9 against the Brumbies in 2015 and 25-9 against the Chiefs in 2016. They also met the Chiefs at Wellington in 2024 but lost 19-30.

The Hurricanes and the Blues have now met on 47 occasions: they have both won 23 times and there has been one draw.

This was the 23rd match hosted by the Hurricanes and their record at home venues (21 in Wellington and two in Palmerston North) is 12 wins, 10 losses and the one draw.

Having met the Blues earlier in the season in Rounds 9 and 14 and won both of those matches, the Hurricanes have beaten the Blues three times in the same season for the first time. They also played the Blues three times in 2020 but lost twice and won once.

Such was the Hurricanes domination in 2026 they scored 146 points in their three matches against the Blues (at an average of 48.7 points per match) whilst conceding 64 points (at an average of 21.3 points per match).

The Hurricanes had not won three matches in a row against the Blues since winning nine on the trot between 2015 and 2019.

The Hurricanes registered their highest score against the Blues (57 points) which bettered their previous highest score in their 47-24 win at Auckland four weeks earlier in Round 14.

The Hurricanes extended their Super Rugby record for most scores of 50 or more points in a season to seven. It was the 31st time they have reached 50 points in a match.

The Hurricanes winning margin of 36 points is also a new record beating the 24 point difference in their 29-5 win at Auckland in 2015.

The Hurricanes nine tries are the most they have ever scored in a match against the Blues. Their old record was seven, scored at Auckland in Round 14.

With those nine tries the Hurricanes became the first-ever side to score 100 tries in a Super Rugby season.

Their total currently sits at 104. They had held the previous record of 97 which they achieved in 2017. Josh Moorby’s first try of the match was the 100th to be scored.

In this same match the Hurricanes brought up 150 tries against the Blues: that total now stands at 155. Cameron Roigard scored the 150th try.

The Hurricanes also set a new record for most points in a season. They currently have 685 which betters their old record of 660 in 2017.

For just the second time this season the Hurricanes made just one change to their starting XV from that which started in the previous match. That change was in the backs.

And for the second match in a row the Hurricanes starting XV had a combined total of 1000 caps between them.The split was 586 in the forwards and 414 in the backs. The substitute bench boasted a total of 434 caps.

The Hurricanes have won their last 11 matches at home venues: one in Napier and 10 in Wellington.

The Blues loss their last five matches of 2026, something they had not done since losing their first seven  matches in 2015.

The Blues conceded 59, 52 and 57 points in their final three matches this season: they have conceded 50 or more points a total of 11 times in their history but never before had that many points put on them in successive matches.

The Blues season is finished and their overall record in Super Rugby is played 438, won 242 (55.3%), lost 189 and drawn seven.

It is interesting to note the Hurricanes have also played the same number of matches: they have conceded 1215 tries and the Blues 1217, whilst conceding 10464 points to the Blues 10462.

This season was the last one for the Blues coach Vern Cotter. Since he took over from Leon MacDonald in 2024 he has coached the side 49 times for 30 wins (61.2%) and 19 losses. The Blues have reached a Semi-Final in all three seasons and won the Super Rugby title in 2024, his first year.

Jordie Barrett scored his 32nd try in his 123rd Super Rugby match. It was his third try against the Blues. He also kicked six points to take his total to 828 which includes 96 points against the Blues.

Barrett started his 50th Super Rugby match at the Westpac/Sky/Hnry Stadium. He is the seventh Hurricanes player to do so after his brother Beauden, Cory Jane, Ma’a Nonu, TJ Perenara and Ardie and Julian Savea.

Jordie Barrett’s three conversions also took his total to exactly 100 conversions at this ground. It should be mentioned though he also kicked four conversions against the British & Irish Lions in their match in 2017.

Du’Plessis Kirifi’s try was his 16th in his 105th match. It was his first in 14 matches against the Blues.

Xavier Numia scored his seventh try in 91 matches. It was his first try against the Blues and first in any match for just over two years.

Cameron Roigard’s try was his 28th in his 60th appearance for the Hurricanes. He has now scored three tries against the Blues.

Josh Moorby scored yet another “double” and now has 36 tries in 53 matches. Six of those tries have been scored against the Blues. It was Moorby’s eighth instance of scoring two or more tries in a match and the fourth time this season. For the record he has scored two tries in a match five times, three in a match two times and four in a match once.

More importantly though, Moorby now has a total of 15 tries in 2026 and is just one short of equalling the all-time Super Rugby record of 16 in a season which is currently held by fellow team-mate Fehi Fineanganafo and former Hurricanes player Ben Lam.

Josh Moorby also brought up another milestone. He provided the 200th instance of a player scoring two or more tries in a match for the Hurricanes. Two tries have been recorded 166 times, three tries 29 times and four tries five times. A total of 63 different players have contributed to this milestone.

Moorby helped in establishing yet another record in that his tries were the 18th instance of two tries or more being scored in the same season, one more than the 17 occasions in 2017.

Ereatara Enari scored his 4th try in his 26th match for the Hurricanes. It was his first against the Blues.Ruben Love kicked six points to take his total for the season to 113, and 234 in 54 matches for the Hurricanes. He has accumulated 34 points against the Blues.

Love’s three conversions took his total in 2026 to 51 which is a new Hurricanes record for the most kicked in a season. The old record was held by Beauden Barrett who kicked 50 in 2016.

Kini Naholo touched down for his 27th try in his 38th match for the Hurricanes. Six of those tries have been scored against the Blues.

Peter Lakai appeared in his 50th match for the Hurricanes. He had made his debut against the Reds at Townsville in 2023. Along the way Lakai missed 12 matches.

Of his 50 appearances, he has started 39 times and been a substitute 11 times. He has scored 13 tries. Lakai is the seventh Hurricanes player this year to reach the 50 match milestone.

Brad Shields played in his 142nd match to move ahead of Dane Coles and into third place on the list of most matches played for the Hurricanes. Coles played 141 times but Shields total includes the non-Super Rugby match against the British & Irish Lions in 2017.

Fehi Fineanganofo returned to the side after having missed the previous three matches and his search for that elusive record 17th try continues. He has a potential 80 further minutes of play to achieve it.

Blues Captain Patrick Tuipulotu scored the first of his side’s three tries. It was his third against the Hurricanes. His first was way back in 2014 at Auckland and his second was at Wellington in 2023.

Payton Spencer and Eli Oudenryn both scored their first try against the Hurricanes.

Beauden Barrett’s six points off the kicking tee took his total points against his old team to 39. Barrett now has 1630 Super Rugby points (1238 for the Hurricanes and 392 for the Blues) and is in second place on the all-time points scoring list after Dan Carter who scored his 1708 points for the Crusaders.

Dr Ben O’Keeffe refereed his fifth match involving the Hurricanes this year and 20th overall. It was the fourth        time he has been in charge of a Hurricanes/Blues match all of which have been won by the Hurricanes.

Overall they have won 11 times and lost nine times when O’Keeffe has had control.

The Hurricanes have played 438 Super Rugby matches. They have won 256 (58.4%), lost 175 and drawn seven.

The Hurricanes will now meet the Chiefs in the Final at home at Hnry Stadium on Saturday 20 June. The two sides have never before met in a Final.

The Hurricanes have appeared in three previous Finals: against the Crusaders in 2006 (lost 12-19), against the Highlanders in 2015 (lost 14-21) and against the Lions in 2016 (won 20-3).

The Chiefs have appeared in seven previous Finals winning twice: 37-6 against the Sharks at Hamilton in 2012 and 27-22 against the Brumbies at Hamilton in 2013. The Chiefs were in the Finals in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

On the day this year’s Final is played it will be nine years and 318 days since the Hurricanes won their first, and so far only Super Rugby title.