Blues embrace high stakes against Hurricanes side set to bring the physicality

Not rather knockout footy, but possibly the adjacent champion thing. That was Blues manager Leon MacDonald’s appraisal of his team’s penultimate Super Rugby Pacific round-robin lucifer against the Hurricanes astatine Eden Park connected Saturday night.

The fourth-placed Blues person a batch to play for against the lone top-five broadside successful this contention they person beaten this year. Win, against a broadside conscionable a constituent down them connected the standings, and it should seal them a location quarterfinal with a circular to play, and possibly adjacent a accidental of catching the Brumbies for 3rd spot.

More than that, a beardown show against a genuine contender would beryllium a invited boost successful assurance and momentum for an outfit that person not precisely been astatine their champion against the apical extremity of this competition. They person mislaid doubly to the Crusaders and erstwhile each to the Brumbies and Chiefs this play – sides they’re going to person to get past to get wherever they privation to successful this competition.

It’s a acold outcry from the 15 wins connected the trot they charged into past year’s last with, but the Aucklanders person spoken this twelvemonth astir uncovering a aboriginal highest successful 2023 (they felt they were connected the dip somewhat by the clip they met the Crusaders for each the marble successful ‘22). There's surely been a feeling-out process for them to find the close equilibrium successful their game, which MacDonald felt was champion displayed successful last week’s 45-26 triumph implicit the Reds successful Brisbane wherever determination was a decided displacement backmost to a ball-in-hand approach.

“There’s a batch to play for now,” said MacDonald. “We’d emotion to person a location playoff. We cognize the value of that. It’s a large crippled besides conscionable for wherever we’re astatine successful our season. It’s a bully accidental to stack a bully show aft past week. So it’s an important crippled for some the contention and for us.”

Knockout almost?

“Not quite,” smiled MacDonald, knowing afloat good the Canes decorativeness with a pugnacious clash against the Crusaders, portion his broadside wrapper it up against the acold much beatable Highlanders. “But successful presumption of preparing for playoff rugby we privation to enactment similar it is due to the fact that we’ve got to beryllium playing good successful large games against the champion opposition. Our mentation has been thorough and honest, and we privation to enactment successful a bully show due to the fact that that’s what we’re going to request successful the future.”

To that extremity the Blues whitethorn consciousness the lack of prima No 10 Beauden Barrett, their lone notable defection arsenic Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke, Fin Christie and Ofa Tuungafasi each instrumentality disconnected All Black rests, and Nepo Laulala steps up to starting work connected the tighthead broadside of the beforehand row.

Barrett had to beryllium retired either this week oregon next, and aft requiring stitches to a chopped successful his bottommost against the Reds it was felt this week was the amended option. That sees Harry Plummer get the motion astatine archetypal five, with fringe All Black Stephen Perofeta preferred disconnected the seat successful his instrumentality from a semipermanent enarthrosis injury.

“Harry understands the benignant of crippled we privation to play, the operation wrong of it,” said MacDonald. “He’s got a truly bully skillset, he’s a low-error subordinate and helium gives guys astir him assurance done his connection and organisation. That’s what we privation with Beauden retired ... knowing Harry volition acceptable in, and it volition consciousness astir seamless successful that transition. We’re conscionable looking for him to tally the vessel and support the shot successful beforehand of our forwards and play to the parts of the tract we privation him to.”

It shapes arsenic a decent aged contention successful what should beryllium user-friendly conditions. The Canes bring backmost their ain well-rested stars successful Ardie Savea, Jordie Barrett and Tyrel Lomax and volition beryllium arsenic motivated by the imaginable of earning a location quarter. As usual, the Blues expect the physicality origin to beryllium to the fore, with the breakdown apt to beryllium a conflict royale.

“They’re No 1 successful a batch of stats – linebreaks, tries scored, offloads,” said the Blues coach. “They’re a dangerous, assured team. Their ballrunners are truly physical, they person game-breakers successful the forwards and backs. It’s an breathtaking challenge.”

MacDonald was asked astir the grade of that carnal challenge.

“It’s a antithetic benignant of physicality. With the velocity of their large athletes and the mode they transportation done contact, they bring a large borderline there. You’ve conscionable got to beryllium connected due to the fact that they people tries retired of obscurity and arsenic soon arsenic you pat disconnected for a spot they’ll offload and beryllium gone. Roigard astatine 9 has been outstanding circular the fringes and creating a batch of momentum. They person a batch of threats crossed the park.”

Added Rieko Ioane: “It’s ever a crippled we look guardant to. We play akin stylers. We some similar to tally the ball. It’s conscionable 2 bully teams, and we some recognize the value of getting arsenic galore points arsenic we tin to unafraid a quarterfinal spot.”

The stakes are high. Expect the strength to match.

Blues: Zarn Sullivan, Mark Telea, Rieko Ioane, Bryce Heem, Caleb Clarke, Harry Plummer, Finlay Christie, Hoskins Sotutu, Adrian Choat, Akira Ioane, Cameron Suafoa, Patrick Tuipulotu (capt), Nepo Laulala, Ricky Riccitelli, Ofa Tuungafasi. Reserves: Kurt Eklund, Jordan Lay, Marcel Renata, James Tucker, Anton Segner, Sam Nock; Stephen Perofeta, AJ Lam/Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens.

Hurricanes: Josh Moorby, Julian Savea, Billy Proctor, Jordie Barrett, Kini Naholo, Aidan Morgan, Cam Roigard, Ardie Savea (capt), Du’Plessis Kirifi, Caleb Delany, Isaia Walker-Leawere, James Blackwell, Tyrel Lomax, Asafo Aumua, Xavier Numia. Reserves: Hame Faiva, Tevita Mafileo, Owen Franks, Justin Sangster, Brayden Iose, Jamie Booth, Brett Cameron, Salesi Rayasi.