The Blues revived their campaign with a commanding 29-13 victory over the Crusaders at Eden Park, ending a four-match home drought against the defending champions and briefly climbing into the top four.
Caleb Clarke starred with a first-half double before completing his hat-trick after the break, while Beauden Barrett made an immediate impact in his first 2026 appearance, setting up Codemeru Vai with a superb kick and adding points from the tee.
The Crusaders fought back before halftime through tries to Codie Taylor and Rivez Reihana after Clarke’s yellow card, narrowing the margin to six, but the Blues controlled the second half with disciplined defence and a late Barrett penalty to secure a valuable win.
