Blues

In what was an end-to-end affair despite dour Eden Park conditions, a try-happy Blues outfit ran in eight five-pointers to four and appeared likely to cut through a meek Cheetahs defensive line at every opportunity.

All Blacks hopeful Rieko Ioane ran riot, scoring two tries and setting up another, while midfielder George Moala did his Test prospects no harm in a classy display.

Loose forward Steven Luatua also impressed as an all-action blindside.

Despite being last in the New Zealand group, the Blues were too good for the conference-topping Brumbies in a stark illustration of the gulf between Kiwi outfits and their trans-Tasman rivals.

It was the Brumbies' third loss in a row and ninth consecutive defeat to New Zealand opposition.

The Blues dominated possession from the outset on Sunday but were unable to breach the Brumbies dogged defence for the opening half hour in front of 12,072 at GIO Stadium.

Winger Matt Duffie broke the deadlock, with a George Moala offload helping him to cross after 31 minutes.

An unlikely brace of tries to lock Mark Abbott underpinned Saturday's win, the defending champions' sixth from seven matches this season.

Poor handling and some questionable option-taking again let the Blues down, the loss leaving the Aucklanders at the bottom of the New Zealand conference with just three wins from eight starts.

First blood went to the Hurricanes after three minutes when Abbott bulldozed over from close range, punishing some loose Blues defence around the ruck.

The taped-up collar was obvious when the All Black centre came off the bench in the Blues game against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday night.

It was understood Williams, who is Muslim, covered the logo for religious reasons.

Muslims believe the charging of interest is prohibited by the Quran.

As a part of their collective agreement any player can lodge a conscientious objection to promoting finance, alcohol, tobacco, gambling companies and banks.

Trailing 20-13 at halftime, the vastly-improved hosts slowly wrestled control of a clash between the two bottom-placed teams in the New Zealand Conference and retained the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy.

One of the few highlights of a scoreless second half for the Blues was the debut of cross code star Sonny Bill Williams, ending eight months out of rugby after rupturing his Achilles tendon at the Rio Olympics.

All Blacks midfield back Williams made one lightning break and offload but otherwise had little impact as the Highlanders dominated the closing stages.

Walker was dished out more than his fair share of criticism after being afforded just nine minutes off the bench in Origin I but shook off that experience to put in a solid 80-minute effort in Game Two where despite conceding a handful of early penalties he was able to do an impressive job marking opposite number Greg Inglis.

While Cronk holds the undisputed mantle for calmness under pressure Reynolds' game has developed to the point that it not only delivered the Rabbitohs the 2014 Telstra Premiership but has him widely regarded as the owner of the best kicking game in the NRL.

It's a kicking game that will be put under more pressure than Reynolds has ever previously experienced next Wednesday night at ANZ Stadium as he and five-eighth James Maloney look to counter the stranglehold Cronk and Johnathan Thurston have had over Origin for the past five years.