THREE GAMES IN EIGHT DAYS CONFIRMED FOR BLUES

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.

Four days later the two sides will play each other again in the scheduled Round 7 game set for Eden Park on Saturday 2 April with the match starting at 7.05pm.

It means the Blues will face three games in eight days, taking on the Highlanders in Dunedin on March 26, before the two games against Moana Pasifika.

Blues CEO Andrew Hore said he acknowledges the challenges presented with the new schedule but is confident of the resilience in the squad.

Coach Leon MacDonald said the team has spoken about the need to adapt and be resilient in the face of the challenges.

“All of our focus is on tonight’s game against the Highlanders who are challenging for the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy. That is an important trophy for us.

“Next week we will take some time to work out a plan to best manage the training, playing and travel load on our players and staff with three games in a week.

“This will be a massive challenge and a huge test of the depth of our squad, and potentially with other players who might be required,” he said.

NZR General Manager Professional Rugby & Performance Chris Lendrum said the new dates were positive news at a time when COVID was causing disruptions for many of the New Zealand-based teams.

“We acknowledge the short turnarounds are not ideal, but we believe we’ve reached the best possible outcome in terms of fairness and player welfare. The basic principle was to reschedule the matches in weeks where the Blues or Gallagher Chiefs were already playing Moana Pasifika.  This means the teams will play each other twice in a week, but they will all have the same rest period between matches.”