PLAYOFF RACE HEATS UP
Tele’a, Darry return
A tantilising top four contest in Super Rugby Pacific takes centre stage at Eden Park this Saturday night with the second-placed Blues hosting the third-placed ACT Brumbies.
Both the Blues and Brumbies sit on 27 competition points with 6-1 win-loss records, meaning Saturday’s match takes on extra significance in the race for home playoff spots.
Lock Sam Darry returns to the Blues 23 this weekend, he sits on the bench after recovering from his MCL knee injury.
Blockbuster Wing Mark Tele’a is back on the right wing, eager to add to his season tally of five tries, while Halfback Taufa Funaki gets his second consecutive start after an impressive display against the Western Force.
An imposing Blues forward pack will greet the Brumbies with Ricky Riccitelli starting at Hooker with impact coming from Kurt Eklund who returns from illness.
Blues Head Coach Vern Cotter said Saturday’s fixture is important in the context of his team’s season.
“Clearly the Brumbies are tracking really well this season, they’ve been impressive both offensively and defensively and will be a handful on Saturday at Eden Park,” said Cotter.
“We’re locked together on points, we’ve won the same number of games and whoever wins on Saturday will claim outright second on the points table – it’s a big match there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
Cotter was also stoked to have his locking stocks bolstered with the return on Sam Darry.
“Sam’s back with us and we’ll look to ease him in with some minutes off the bench on Saturday,” said Cotter.
“He was a strong performer for us at the start of the season, he’s a big body and an excellent lineout forward. It’s great to have some depth return to our locking stocks and I know he’s excited to be back wearing the Blues jersey once again,” he said.
Blues:
Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Ricky Riccitelli
Marcel Renata
Patrick Tuipulotu (c)
Laghlan McWhannell
Akira Ioane
Dalton Papali’i
Hoskins Sotutu
Taufa Funaki
Harry Plummer
Caleb Clarke
Bryce Heem
Rieko Ioane
Mark Tele’a
Cole Forbes
Reserves:
Kurt Eklund
Joshua Fusitu’a
Angus Ta’avao
Sam Darry
Adrian Choat
Sam Nock
Lucas Cashmore
AJ Lam
Players not considered: Stephen Perofeta (shoulder), Finlay Christie (groin), Zarn Sullivan (knee), Rob Rush (calf), Cam Suafoa (sickness)
MATCH DAY INFO
HELP OUR REGION’S YOUTH: Chemist Warehouse ambassadors will be collecting donations via EFTPOS and coin buckets at Gate A, H, D & E. All proceeds will go to the Blues Charitable Trust who run a Youth Leadership Programme at Blues HQ. Find out more - blues.rugby/blues-charitable-trust
GATES OPEN: 5.30pm - Grab your free Blues flag at gate entry.
CHEAP FEEDS: 20% early bird discount on Food purchases from Eden Park retail outlets till 6pm.
SEE THE TEAM: 5.35pm Blues Players arrive at Gate A - welcome the team off the bus as they walk through the concourse.
LIVE COMMENTARY IN YOUR SEAT: You can listen to live audio commentary from your mobile phone using 4G. Livefeed offers near real-time audio, ensuring you never miss a single try, penalty or ref’s call. Just head to blues.livefeed.fm once you’ve arrived at the stadium.
BLUES MERCH: Purchase online so you’re ready to show your support – head to shop.blues.rugby or check out our merchandise outlets at Eden Park.
WAHU LITTLE BLUES: 5.45pm kick off - Four junior teams will show off their skills in games of Rippa Rugby. We have U9 teams from Kumeu, East Coast Bays and Northcote as well as the Harlequins team all the way from Australia!
EASY ACCESS: Travel on trains and buses to and from the stadium is free from 3.30pm by showing your match day ticket. Please note that train services West from Kingsland will be replaced with buses.
Saturday 20 April
Blues v ACT Brumbies
Kick-off 7.05pm
EDEN PARK, Auckland
LIVE on Sky Sport and Gold Sport & iHeart Radio