The Barbarians are known for their dominant forward pack but their backline also had the talent to excel on the firm ground.
The Babaas kicked an early penalty and their scrum had quickly established supremacy.
After a Barbarians midfielder was stopped in his tracks by an offensive tackle from Rua Tupou, centre Jaye Thompson scooped up the loose ball and scooted away to score the first converted try for Pirates.
Barbarians landed a penalty after 29 minutes and Pirates midfielder Napoli Seru was sent to the sin-bin for a late tackle.
He was not the only player disciplined in a game that on occasion swung from intensely physical to overheated.
Pirates held a 7-6 lead at halftime, and after the resumption, prop Levi Gage was first to score from a series of pick-and-go movements.
The visitors immediately hit back with a try to winger Josefa Boletakibureta to make the score 14-11.
The last 10 minutes featured plenty of action.
A penalty to Greg Dyer was cancelled out by a try to Baabas replacement halfback Connor Collins.
Another penalty to Dyer made it 20-18, and with time up on the clock, the Barbarians had a chance to steal victory with a penalty attempt but it missed.
Barbarians coach Bretton Taylor said it was a physical game that got a bit testy from time to time.
"Either side could’ve won. Both sides applied pressure and were guilty of mistakes. We were a bit disappointed not to be rewarded from our scrum dominance."
The visitors’ usual suspects were impressive: prop Morgy Mitchell, lock Woody Kirkwood, all the loose forwards and midfielder Angus Simmers, while Collins made an impact off the bench.
Star and Blues also dodged the mud in Invercargill and played at the excellent rugby facility at Oreti Park.
Star led 42-0 at halftime but the second half was a different story.
Star had scored their tries in the first half through individual brilliance rather than putting any phases together. That played right into the hands of Blues in the second half as they closed the margin to 49-33.
Star coach Brayden Mitchell said his team went to sleep.
"We didn’t do ourselves any favours, but credit where it is due — Blues played very well."
Star loose forwards Dylan Lovett and Kaya Symon were the top performers.
Marist earned a 24-17 win over Woodlands at Miller St.
Marist led 17-0 at halftime but the understrength Woodlands team came back to 17-14 with 15 minutes remaining.
The determined Marist side scored a converted try, and with the win out of reach, Woodlands kicked a late goal to get a bonus point.
By John Langford
