Some of the earlier season polish might have been missing, but the Hurricanes produced a gutsy second half and Beauden Barrett a perfect kicking display to peg back the Blues for a crucial 37-27 Investec Super Rugby win at Westpac Stadium.
Spear-headed by two tries to lock/loose forward Vaea Fifita, the Hurricanes came back from 24-17 down at halftime to move to ease within one point of the Crusaders, and two of the New Zealand Conference leading Chiefs on a congested points table.
Captain and hooker Dane Coles and workaholic prop Reggie Goodes scored the Hurricanes other two tries in front of 15,618 home fans.
The only black spot the night was a broken arm to Hurricanes tight head prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, who will miss the rest of the Super Rugby season.
Toomaga-Allen left the field early clutching his forearm and was replaced by Chris Eves, who was one of the home side's best on the night.
The crowd were treated to some spectacular rugby from both sides, particularly during a see-saw first half that saw some breath taking movements.
The forwards went hammer and tongs with the Blues All Blacks blindside Jerome Kaino scoring two tries and openside Kara Pryor scoring the visitors other five pointer.
Barrett was sublime from the kicking tee with four conversions and three penalties for a personal tally of 20 points.
The Hurricanes now turn their attention to playing the Waratahs in Sydney next week before their final match of the regular season against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
But first Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd will take a moment to reflect on a tough win over the Blues that saw his side display some rustiness, particularly in defence, during the first half.
With the score locked at 3-3 after 10 minutes, Japan International Male Sa'u broke through for the Blues to set up openside flanker Kara Pryor for the first try. The Hurricanes struck back immediately when Goodes barged over from close range and went up 17-10 after Kaino's first try.
Coles made it four tries in the opening 20 minutes when he chipped a loose ball forward and beat Piers Francis to the line. Kaino got his brace when he spotted a gap from the base of the ruck and ran 30 metres to stun the Hurricanes with his second try in 10 minutes.
A Francis penalty early in the second half extended the Blues lead to 10 points before the Hurricanes worked their way back into the game. Two Barrett penalties closed the gap to four points before the lead changed hands when TJ Perenara popped the ball to blockbusting lock Fifita to score under the posts.
As the game wore on, the Hurricanes slowed down the tempo and retained more possession as the Blues struggled to replicate their potency from the first half.
The decisive blow came in the 70th minute when replacement midfielder Willis Halaholo executed a perfectly weighted skip pass to put Fifita over for his second and make the score 37-27.
The Blues tried hard in the dying minutes but couldn't cross the Hurricanes line as the defence stood firm.
The win takes the Hurricanes to 44 points and retains their place at third on the New Zealand Conference ladder.
SCORERS:
Hurricanes 37 (Vaea Fifita 2, Dane Coles, Reg Goodes tries, Beauden Barrett 4 con, 3 pen) Blues 27 (Jerome Kaino 2, Kara Pryor tries, Piers Francis 3 con, 2 pen). HT: 24-17 (Blues)