Midfielder Ngani Laumape was at his punishing best against the Blues on Saturday night as he scored four excellent tries to help the Hurricanes to an important 42-24 Investec Super Rugby at Westpac Stadium.

Laumape joins team-mate Ben Lam as one of the only two Hurricanes players to score four tries in a match while the victory pushed the team to the verge of a home quarterfinal.

The Hurricanes now face the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday night knowing that a bonus point or avoiding a really heavy defeat will be enough for them to host a play-off match in a fortnight.

Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd thought the win was vitally important off the back of three straight losses but he also believed the team only played at about 75 per cent of their potential against a Blues side that offered plenty on attack.

Every time the Hurricanes got out to a decent lead for most of the match the Blues came back at them and it took some really hard work for the side to finally put the game to bed.

It was a great way for Hurricanes captain Brad Shields to celebrate his 100th Super Rugby match in front of his home fans and he paid tribute to Laumape's effort.

Shields said the way his No 12 was able to consistently get over the advantage line and obviously finish off the chances they created was the major factor in the win.

He also believed it would be important for the team to travel to Hamilton and try and build some momentum as they approach the play-offs.

While Laumape grabbed most of the attention for his magnificent game, Beauden Barrett and Julian Savea also scored tries while Jordie Barrett kicked a perfect six from six conversions.