Coach Leon MacDonald has selected an experienced and largely unchanged Blues team to host the Crusaders at Eden Park on Sunday. It has been strengthened with the return of All Black prop Alex Hodgman, and the experienced quartet of lock Josh Goodhue and loose forward Blake Gibson, with midfield leader TJ Faiane and halfback Finlay […]

Following on from a successful Under 18 Camp earlier this month, 14 players from the Blues region have been named in teams for the 2020 New Zealand Secondary Schools and New Zealand Barbarians Schools teams.   Despite having significantly less game time due to regional coronavirus restrictions, both teams feature a strong contingent of talent […]

Ten female players are among the group of promising under-18 rugby talent from the Blues region to take part in the annual NZ Barbarians-Blues Development Camp next week. The easing in the Covid conditions means the three-day camp will go ahead at Mount Albert Grammar School from Monday 28 September. The camp will include sessions […]

Blues defence coach Tana Umaga has extended his stay at the franchise until the end of the 2021 Super Rugby season. This brings Umaga into line with the rest of the Blues coaching group of head coach Leon MacDonald, forwards coach Tom Coventry and backs/skills coach Daniel Halangahu. Umaga joined the Blues as head coach […]

Outstanding North Harbour loose forward Dillon Hunt will return home to Auckland to join the Blues in Super Rugby after four seasons with the Highlanders. The North Harbour captain has made two appearances for the All Blacks with his debut in Japan in 2018 and he was one of the standout performers in Super Rugby […]

Blues captain and All Black, Patrick Tuipulotu has scooped up the major honours at the Blues Awards announced at a function in central Auckland. Tuipulotu was awarded the Blues Most Valuable Player of the Year honour as well as the prized Mealamu Medal, awarded to the person who makes the biggest contribution to the culture […]

The Blues today announced the signing of highly promising young Canterbury lock Sam Darry. The New Zealand Schools player and Under-20 triallist has signed on for the Blues for three years. Darry was former captain of Christ’s College, a member of the school’s winning Maadi Cup rowing team, and Canterbury Under-19 player of the year […]

The Blues have named an unchanged squad to head south in search of the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy in their Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa clash against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Sunday afternoon. The only change is a swap in the front row where All Black Karl Tu’inukuafe, fully recovered from a niggling hamstring, has […]

The close relationship between the Blues and the Honda Heat club has led to double international Matt Duffie signing with the Japanese side. Duffie and his family will join the Honda club, the first player to transfer between the two clubs since the Blues began a coaching and performance relationship. The 29-year-old was contracted out […]

Two Blues players – Blake Gibson and Beauden Barrett – will make key appearances in Sunday’s Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa match against the Chiefs at Eden Park on Sunday. Barrett, the two-time world player of the year, will make the first of his six starts for the Blues at first-five while Gibson returns after a […]

The Blues will take a largely unchanged line-up to Wellington to start the second half of Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa competition against the Hurricanes on Saturday. A trio Bay of Plenty players are the only changes this week with Kurt Eklund and Aaron Carroll replacing the injured pair of James Parsons and Blake Gibson in […]

The Blues have named arguably their strongest team for the top of the table match against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday. The pack is unchanged from the side that beat the Highlanders before the break, with two changes in the backs. Halfback Finlay Christie and second-five Harry Plummer will start after coming off the […]