Josh Blackie returned to New Zealand Rugby in 2009 after two seasons playing in Kobe, Japan. For the former Otago, Highlanders, New Zealand Sevens and Junior All Black openside flanker, it was also a return home, as Blackie was raised and educated in west Auckland. He made one appearance for the Blues as a draft player in 2002, […]

Prop Mike Storey played just two games for the Blues in his only season with the club in 2002. Storey made his provincial debut for Northland in 1999 after an off-season playing rugby in France. He was a regular age grade representative for his province before trying his hand at league in 1995 and 1996. Storey […]

Charlie Faumuina and Steven Luatua will play their last games for the Blues in their Investec Super Rugby season finale against the Sunwolves in Tokyo on Saturday. Coach Tana Umaga has honoured the club’s first ever clash against the Sunwolves with their strongest possible combination including the Blues’ All Blacks Jerome Kaino, Faumuina, Ofa Tu’ungafasi […]

A member of the world champion New Zealand Under-19 side in 1999, Jason Shoemark has also won two international titles with the New Zealand Under-21s and captained the side to the World Cup in South Africa in 2001. Shoemark made six appearances for the Blues from 2002-2003 but then shifted south to Otago in 2004, following that up […]

The Blues held on to beat a defiant Reds side in the first-ever Investec Super Rugby match in Samoa. And they did it with a radically different team to the one that tied with the Chiefs at Eden Park last week. One of those changes, Rene Ranger made up for lost time by racing over […]

Formerly a forestry worker from the Awanui club – one of the northern-most in New Zealand – Vula Maimuri did a superb job for the Highlanders in his debut Super 12 season in 2001 before joining the Blues from 2002-2003. He played 5 tests for Fiji and also played for the New Zealand Barbarians during their win over the […]

Our Blues will look to finish the season off with a bang when they face the Sunwolves in Tokyo for the very first time in the club’s history. The Sunwolves are zero from four against Kiwi teams this season, suffering big losses against the Hurricanes (83-17), Crusaders (50-3), and Highlanders (40-15), before coming remarkably close […]

Matt Lord began his professional rugby career with North Harbour, winning the 2001 Players Player of the Year for the team. He was called in to the Blues in 2002 before moving to England the same year to take up a contract with the Northampton Saints. He played there until 2009, making 154 appearances.