Ofisa Tonu’u was top value as a strongly built halfback in the first three seasons of the Super 12, before departing the Blues (34 matches) in the draft to the Hurricanes in 1999. His biggest legacy to Auckland may have been in 1995 when with the game moving to professionalism he led many of the union’s best […]

The Blues have kicked off our new relationship with Honda Heat Rugby Club with a camp in Suzuka, Japan to help prepare for the return to Investec Super Rugby. The Blues squad spent a week at the Honda Heat training base and the camp involved combined training sessions, staff connections and a match. The Blues […]

A 2004 All Blacks debutant, Sam Tuitupou carried his successful junior career – including world titles at Under-19 and Under-21 levels – into the senior ranks.   Renowned for his hard tackling and straight running, Tuitupou performed as the ideal complement to Carlos Spencer in the Blues midfield.   Tuitupou played his first Super 12 games with the Blues in 2003 and made 40 appearances for […]

Ferocious on the field and a gentleman off it, big lock Patrick Tuipulotu prefers to let his actions on the paddock do the talking for him. Nevertheless, we managed to lure in the 12-test All Black with promises of fresh meatloaf if he answered these questions for us… What’s your favourite meal? Meatloaf with mashed […]

Joeli was one of the first Fijian imports to hugely affect the New Zealand game. He started playing 7s with Fiji before being scooped to play for Counties Manukau in the mid-1990s.   The dynamic winger earned 61 caps for the Blues between 1996 and 2001 and earned huge respect from Blues supporters, even inspiring the song “Give me […]

When Jimmy Tupou lead the Blues onto the field in his first ever game for the club – our round one clash against the Rebels in Melbourne – he joined Zinzan Brooke as the only other player to captain the team on debut. “That was only because James and Jerome were unavailable for that first […]

Ali Williams was an influential player, captaining the team in 2013 and committing most of his professional rugby career to his home team the Blues.  He was first picked for the team in 2002 and played more than 100 Super Rugby matches for the club. Aside from a one-season stint with the Crusaders in 2008, Williams was with the Blues from […]

At last night’s Blues Awards we bid farewell to the gentle giant with fast feet, a big heart, and an even bigger smile. That’s right. After a remarkable nine Super Rugby seasons with us, Charlie Faumuina leaves the Blues as the sixth most-capped player in our history, and joins an esteemed group of legendary players […]

As a Blues centurion and the most capped All Black prop, Tony’s experience and professionalism was worth its weight in gold. He was renowned as a relentless scrummager and real leader in the team.  He earned 149 Super Rugby caps, including 12 caps with the Highlanders.  At the end of 2015, Tony announced he would be retiring from rugby after the 2015 World […]