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In a high-scoring game of rugby, the Sharks have defeated the Blues by 23 points.
Final score
Blues 40
Sharks 63
The Blues will look to begin their climb up the Super Rugby ladder when the host the struggling Sharks this afternoon. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match from 5:30pm AEDT.
Despite boasting several All Black stars in their squad, the Blues remain the most inconsistent team in the New Zealand conference. Defensively speaking, they remain the NZ outfit most likely to suffer a breakdown when things go against them.
Regardless, the Blues at their best play an enterprising style of rugby. They know how to score tries and will be favoured to pile on the points against the struggling Sharks, even without Sonny Bill Williams.
Blues coach Tana Umaga has made a whopping seven changes to his starting side to host the Sharks, with superstar Rieko Ioane making a surprise switch to inside centre.
Ioane, the All Blacks winger, had been playing in the No 13 jersey but now moves in another spot to replace the injured Sonny Bill Williams.
Jonathan Ruru and Stephen Perofeta form a new halves pairing while All Blacks Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Matt Duffie have been given one of their two mandated rest games which allows first starts for prop Mike Tamoaieta and winger Jordan Trainor.
Lock Josh Goodhue starts for the injured Scott Scrafton.
The Sharks meanwhile are struggling for points this season, averaging barely 15 points a match thus far away from home. They will need significantly more than that to topple one of the most entertaining sides to watch in Super Rugby.
Surprisingly though, history is firmly on the Sharks side tonight. The South African outfit has won 10 of its past 11 matches against the Blues – a terrific feat.
Prediction
While it appears unlikely for the Sharks to continue that trend, such a run is concerning for Blues fans.
The Blues are currently conceding on average over 30 points a match so far this season. They need to tighten their defence. If they can do that, the Blues attacking prowess should get them home comfortably tonight.
Blues by 20