This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
June 27, 2020 - Auckland Blues' winning streak in New Zealand's Super Rugby competition continued with a thrilling 27-24 victory over Otago Highlanders on Saturday.
Two tries from Dalton Papali'i and the impressive display of Hoskins Sotutu were instrumental in the Blues' comeback win.
After a strong first half, the Highlanders staged repeated attacks on the Aucklanders' line in the second half, but Sotutu's power and composure denied them late scoring opportunities.
Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu praised his team's newfound self-confidence, saying, 'A couple of years ago, even last year we weren’t able to hang on we didn’t have the composure. I’m proud of the fact we managed to do that now.'
Highlanders skipper Ash Dixon was left dejected after his side failed to capitalize on two late scoring opportunities, saying, 'We had two opportunities there to go right down to the death but didn’t take our chances.'
