The Tana Umaga era has been launched in sumptuous style. At this rate Eden Park won't be big enough to contain the Blues supporters jumping back on the bandwagon.

Of course it's early doors, game one of a long Super Rugby season, but the Blues' thrilling 33-31 victory over defending champions the Highlanders in front of 21,983 delirious fans has certainly delivered the perfect start for the embarrassments of last season.

Umaga's Blues showed plenty of mettle and no little skill to take the best shots of a very good Highlanders outfit and scrape out a meritorious victory, helped a little by a late yellow card dished out to Highlanders wing Pat Osborne that they were good enough to punish.

PHOTOSPORT Melani Nanai scores a try for the Blues during their win over the Highlanders.

They scored three excellent tries, kicked their penalties, won the lineout battle and were probably the more accurate at the all-important breakdown. Most importantly they delivered a first-up win for their beleaguered fans, sealed by big Patrick Tuipulotu's 72nd-minute try that made it through the perusal of the TMO.

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The Highlanders, even a man down, fought to the very end and Ben Smith's second score of the game, following a brilliant breakout by substitute back Matt Faddes, at least gave the southerners a well-deserved bonus point. It was the least they deserved.

It was a high quality and compelling opening to this new Super Rugby season, and both teams showed enough to suggest that they're going to offer plenty through this year.

The Blues, coming off the worse season in their history, were everything they weren't in 2015 − urgent, committed, mostly accurate and united. Their forwards got stuck in, led by Tuipulotu and the hugely promising Blake Gibson, and that backline did what they could in the face of the rushing Highlanders defensive line. Their back three, in particular, was impressive, Rene Ranger brought the danger late off the bench and Bryn Hall and Ihaia West were quality in the halves.

Coach Umaga was ecstatic, though made it clear afterwards he wasn't going to be dancing any jigs on the back of one result.

"The boys played with a lot of heart towards the back-end there. That's something we've tried to grow these last couple of months and they showed it right there to the wire," he said. "The Highlanders showed why they're the reigning champions, they came back at us, never took a backward step and kept the pressure on.

"But our boys have worked hard for this, so they've got to make sure they enjoy these little wins.

"It's huge for us. The pre-season is the pre-season but we gained confidence in what we're doing. The Highlanders threw things at us we hadn't seen, we were able to withstand some of it, and we were fortunate in other aspects. So we've got to learn from that."

The Highlanders also looked sharp, but paid the price for their lineout lapses and their discipline at the breakdown. Those will be corrections that coach Jamie Joseph will look to make quickly.

"We could have won that game at the end if we'd been a little more clinical in big moments," said Joseph. "The Blues had the upper hand for that second half, I was pleased the way we rallied at the end and finished with 14 men, but not enough."

So often the first game of the Super Rugby season is a bit of an eyesore. Between the off-season rust, the adjustment to the speed and intensity of the real thing, the inevitable rule tweaks and just a bit of over-keenness, the contest seldom matches the occasion.

Not this time. Two dialled-in, well-drilled sides provided an outstanding first 40 minutes, shaded 24-20, three tries to two, by the Highlanders.

But the visitors needed a 40th-minute try to winger Waisake Naholo, off a delightful Aaron Smith box kick, to wrestle the advantage back off an impressive Blues outfit.

Ben Smith scored the Highlanders' first try, in the eighth minute, at the end of a well-structured buildup, but that was answered 10 minutes later by a ripper from Blues wing Melani Nanai via Ihaia West's pinpoint crosskick and Lolagi Visinia's excellent setup.

A brilliant individual score by flanker Gibson put the Blues into the lead 17-10, before the visitors levelled soon after when debutant Tei Walden showed nice composure down the right flank to dummy and go over.

West's late penalty looked like it would give the Blues the halftime lead, before the champs struck with that all-important score on the south side of halftime.

West added two more penalties put the Blues back in front, 26-24, after a tightly contested third quarter, and then this delicious contest was decided right around the 70-minute mark with a little bit of controversy.

First Osborne was yellow-carded for an incorrect ruck entry. Fair call, but had Malakai Fekitoa been hit high earlier in the play?

Regardless, the Blues punished the southerners from the very next play. The touchline was sought, replacement halfback Billy Guyton gobbled up some territory and then from a ruck big Tuipulotu charged over for a contentious, but match-winning try. There might have been some off-the-ball interference, but not as the TMO saw it.

The Highlanders had the final say, but Ben Smith's late score for the visitors proved consolation only as the Blues walked off with the win they needed, not to mention the welcome sound of their fans' applause in their ears.

Blues 33 (Melani Nanai, Blake Gibson, Patrick Tuipulotu tries; Ihaia West 4 pens, 3 cons), Highlanders 31 (Ben Smith 2, Tei Walden, Waisake Naholo tries; Lima Sopoaga pen, 3 cons; Hayden Parker con). Ht: 20-24.