Captain Dalton Papalii will earn his 50th cap for the Blues as he leads the team to take on neighbours the Chiefs in DHL Super Rugby Pacific in Hamilton on Saturday.

As a testament to his resilience, the 24-year-old will earn his 50th cap midway through just his fifth season for the Blues since his debut in 2018.

A trio of tyros have earned selection alongside proven regulars in the Blues side who return home to Eden Park to host Moana Pasifika on Saturday.

Midfielder Corey Evans along with loose forwards Cameron Suafoa and Anton Segner, with just five caps between them, have earned a start in the return clash in the DHL Super Rugby Pacific competition.

The depth of the Blues personnel, further affected by recent illness, will be tested when they meet Moana Pasifika in the first of two clashes, at Mt Smart Stadium on Tuesday.

With both teams facing three games in eight days as they look to make-up lost games earlier in the DHL Super Rugby Pacific competition, the Blues have dug deep into their emerging tyros.

“It is both a challenge and an exciting opportunity,” said Blues head coach, Leon MacDonald. “The situation is simple. You can’t play your most experienced players three times in eight days. It may not by ideal but we just get on with it.

The Blues are looking to bounce back to their competitive best after an illness-hit week off, to take on the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday.

The Blues can confirm that Covid is further impacting our squad.

We are currently working through the full impacts of this situation, including in regards to this week’s fixture against the Crusaders.

The funeral for legendary Blues winger Joeli Vidiri will take place at 11am this Friday at Navigation Homes Stadium in Pukekohe.

The 49-year-old passed away last month in the United States and his New Zealand-based family and friends have worked to bring him home for a fitting farewell.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has announced the following schedule changes for Round 5 of the DHL Super Rugby Pacific season. The Crusaders v Blues match at Orangetheory Stadium will now be played on Saturday 19 March at 7:05pm. The match was initially scheduled for Sunday 20 March at 3.35pm.

The long and winding road leads to Hamilton as the nib Blues finally make their debut in Sky Super Rugby Aupiki against Matatū on Tuesday.

After a covid-decimated lead-up, the nib Blues are eager and excited to finally get on the park, and focussed on a strong first-up performance.

The Blues are pleased to confirm that Chris Major has been appointed as an independent director of Blues Rugby. Chris is the third representative appointed by the new private ownership group, the Better Blues Company Limited.

The Blues will face a massive double-header week against Moana Pasifika later this month.

The initial opening round match in the DHL Super Rugby Pacific was postponed when covid hit the Moana Pasifika side.

It has now been rescheduled for Tuesday 29 March at Mt Smart Stadium at 7.05pm kickoff.

All Black centurion Beauden Barrett has his first start of the season for the Blues when they host the Highlanders at North Harbour Stadium on Friday night in DHL Super Rugby Pacific.

After coming off the bench in the 24-22 win over the Chiefs last weekend, Barrett gets to start at No 10 with another highly experienced campaigner in Bryce Heem outside him. The duo come in for the injured inside back pairing of Harry Plummer and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, with both sidelined for several weeks with shoulder injuries.

The Hurricanes Poua team have been forced to withdraw from their opening match of Sky Super Rugby Aupiki this Thursday due to Covid cases and isolation requirements in their squad.

With a desire to increase the Blues supporter range and deliver more options for fans young and old, the Blues have established a multi-layered partnership with Belgravia Apparel.

The experienced sports customised apparel supplier will produce a range of kit for the most passionate Blues fans from new-born onesies through to youth tees and hooded towels to enable supporters to show their true blue throughout the Blues region.

The continued covid restrictions have forced the Blues to cancel plans to take a DHL Super Rugby Pacific match to Whangarei.

The Blues have rescheduled the game to North Harbour Stadium and are operating under the red light restrictions of no crowds.