On a night where Dunedin paid tribute to Connor Garden-Bachop, who died after the 2024 season, it was fitting that fullback Finn Hurley was the Highlanders’ shining light, with an electric display that included two tries, three offloads and 162 metres run with ball in hand.

The Blues, meanwhile, will need to go back to the drawing board.

For the second week in succession, Vern Cotter’s men have not been able to find the form that saw them cruise to a drought-breaking title last year, having also added All Blacks star Beauden Barrett into their ranks.

Having built their 2024 title on a forward-dominated gameplan, it was fitting the Blues opened the scoring through a lineout drive, as Finlay Christie finished off his pack’s work.

In response, the Highlanders showed their intent to play, led by the barnstorming efforts of Tavatavanawai in midfield. An offside penalty allowed Sam Gilbert to get the hosts on the board, but the Highlanders were hit by losing prop Saula Ma’u to a failed concussion test.

Absent during the Blues’ opening round defeat to the Chiefs, Hoskins Sotutu showed his side what they were missing, by offloading to put Barrett through to score under the posts, and convert his own try.

Down 14-3, the Highlanders’ effort was ignited by Finn Hurley, who fielded the ball inside his own half, before his chip over the top undid Christie, before the fullback regathered, and ran away to score without any Blues defender laying a hand on him.

The Highlanders struck again before the interval, as Folau Fakatava’s incisive run put his side into a position to send Gilbert in over to score on the right, as his missed conversion also denied the hosts the chance to take the lead into halftime.

Gilbert missed the chance to give the Highlanders the lead at the end of the first half, but made amends at the start of the second, as his penalty from in front of the posts put the hosts in front for the first time on the night.

Down on the scoreboard, the Blues’ attacking instincts were rewarded, as the chance to retake the lead with a penalty was rewarded with a try, when Riccitelli went over from a lineout drive – only for Hurley to add his second from a counter-attack, sparked by Caleb Tangitau.

However, when the Highlanders lost Lienert-Brown to a yellow card for a dangerous cleanout that was upgraded to red, the door was opened for the Blues.

Gilbert extended the lead to five points, but the Highlanders would still need to weather 13 minutes, a man down – given the 20-minute red card rule.

With their man advantage, the Blues turned down multiple shots at goal, and instead looked to make the most of their lineout drive against a depleted forward pack.

In front of a raucous crowd of students celebrating O-Week, though, the Highlanders resisted, as Gilbert’s fourth penalty pushed the lead beyond a converted try, which they’d hold onto for their first victory of 2025.

The Highlanders will now head north to Auckland, where they’ll face the winless Moana Pasifika at their new base on the North Shore.

Denied a bonus point, the Blues sit bottom of the table from their first two games, and will target bouncing back when they travel to Wellington next weekend to face the Hurricanes.

Highlanders 29 (Finn Hurley 2, Sam Gilbert tries; Gilbert conversion; Gilbert 4 penalties)

Blues 21 (Finlay Christie, Beauden Barrett, Ricky Riccitelli tries; Barrett 3 conversions)

HT: 13-14

Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.